Pièce 161 - Letter from Janet Trevelyan to Elizabeth Trevelyan

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2, Cheyne Gardens. - Thanks Bessie for the 'long letter from Aulla' about a month ago; apologises for taking so long to answer 'as usual' but knows she is 'of a kind & forgiving spirit'. The letter came in the middle of the General Election, when 'one thought of nothing else'; it was a 'glorious time', and she even went to the Strand on the first night and saw the 'great Manchester results' [such as Arthur Balfour's defeat]. Generally though she was rather solitary, since George was away almost all month working for Charles, or Francis Acland; had to 'console [herself] by chalking in the map with more & more red squares every day'; her 'feelings got very torn' about her brother, standing in Wiltshire as a Protectionist, since his opponent [John Massie] was the sort of Liberal she has least sympathy with, 'the narrow-minded Nonconformist sort', beginning to hope Arnold would at least cut down his majority. Instead it was doubled, and Arnold had only the 'poor consolation of being invited to the Party Meeting at Lansdowne House'. Words 'quite fail' her over Balfour's 'last manoeuvre'.

The family then all went to Welcombe, so that Charles, George, and Molly could rest 'after their fearful exertions'; of course Mary and Pauline were 'by far the most important members of the party'; contrasts Pauline's placidity with Mary's 'rampaging'; in fact they discovered Pauline was underweight, so Molly has stopped breastfeeding on doctor's orders and now she is 'flourishing'. Very 'jolly' about Charlie's Charity Commissionership; 'makes one feel he hasn't been left out after all'; he says the work is quite interesting. Mary is now one, which makes Janet 'feel tremendously old too!'. George has almost finished the proofs of his book on Meredith ["The Poetry and Philosophy of George Meredith"]; her own translation [of Wilhelm Bousset's "Jesus"] has just come out, though she is sure '[n]o one will ever buy it'. Hopes that Bessie and Bob are returning in the middle of March; things are 'buzzing over here'.