Item 11 - Letter from R. C. Trevelyan to Caroline Trevelyan

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The Guest House [the Rest House crossed through], Chhatapur. - They came here on Wednesday and intended to leave today, but are delaying their departure for a few days since [Goldsworthy Lowes] Dickinson has been 'rather ill'. His digestion has suffered from the 'bad food [they] get in most places'; Robert however is well and has 'learnt what agrees' with him; hears the food will be better in Bengal. Chhatarpur is a 'delightful place', with the most beautiful countryside he has so far seen in India. Their host the Maharajah is a 'charming man, interested chiefly in philosophy and literature'; they have 'long talks' every afternoon he has 'a good deal of shrewdness, but has muddled his head rather by reading too much bad European philosophy'. His state is 'very well governed' by his ministers, though he seems little interested in it himself. On Wednesday they are going in his moto car to see some famous Hindu and Jain temples thirty miles away [at Khajuraho]. Will go to Benares on Friday or Saturday if Dickinson is well enough. Went out several miles into the jungle on an elephant yesterday with the Chief Justice, also the Maharaja's secretary; they saw no wild beasts, though there are 'often tigers and panthers about'; the jungle was 'very beautiful, not at all thick', and the elephant was 'rather less jolty than the Gwalior one' though he still finds travel by that mean 'inconceivably uncomfortable'. Will not get the mail from England before this letter needs to be sent; does not have a pen, since they left most of their luggage at the station, so is writing in pencil as all the pens here are bad. Will write next week from Benares or Gaya; supposes Bessie will have been to Wallington to collect Julian by the time his mother gets this; she seems to be having a good time in Holland.