Pièce 57 - Letter from E. M. Forster to Elizabeth Trevelyan

West Hackhurst, Abinger Hammer, Dorking. - Tells Bessie to 'keep the Boswell for Beethovenian cycles'; is glad that Bob is reading aloud from it. Pleased they had 'such a nice visit from [their grandson] Philip. I expect and hope that he cried on the chord of C because a chord is too much of a good thing at once, whereas a scale is just a lot of nothings-at-all in a row, and he could deal with them severally'.

Asks if she has heard how Hsiao Chen is; he wrote to Forster after Dr Bluth took him for an x-ray, and 'was hoping to avoid an operation'. Afraid Margaret's operation 'though not making her worse, did not do her any good'; does not know what arrangements Florence [Barger, her sister] is making for her. Understands that 'Evert and his Molly [Mollie Sinton, who married Evert Barger in Jan 1944]' are being very helpful.

His mother is 'fairly well and sends love'. Forster fears they have 'now left it too late and date in the year' for Bessie to visit; looks forward to coming to see her and Bob at the Shiffolds. Now has a copy of Trilling's monograph', and could lend it to her if she likes. It is 'an intelligent but almost overwhelmingly serious piece of work. It praises me for my seriousness; then censures me for my lack of seriousness... but when summing up it suggest that my very absence of seriousness may imply a seriousness far more serious than superficial seriousness'. Was 'rather difficult to know how to thank the author', but he is 'pleased with the book, and tried to say so'. His mother 'cannot read it for nuts [?]'. Has had 'several letters from America, and some tins of food'.