Item 287 - Letter from R. C. Trevelyan to Caroline Trevelyan

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I Tatti, Settignano, Florence. - Thanks his mother for her letter; is 'now quite recovered, and none the worse for having mumped a few days'; the swellings were not large or painful, and he did not have a temperature until he 'caught a chill by getting up a day too early and had a high fever for a night or two'. That is now long gone, and he is quite well. The weather has also been 'horrid' and there has even been some snow, but today looks more promising. The Berensons are leaving Egypt and will arrive in about 10 days; Robert will stay his last week with them, and will remember his parents to them.

Now he has recovered from mumps, he gets on quite well with his work. Sends thanks to his father for his letter [12/340]; will write to him soon. Has hardly been into Florence at all; visited the Uffizi for half an hour one day. They 'have rearranged the pictures, on the whole for the better. Also, many have been brought across there from the Ac[c]ademia, so that all the Bott[]icellis for instance are together now. If primitives had been in fashion a hundred years ago, how congenial Shell[e]y ought to have found Bot[t]icelli. But he seems only to have been interested in second-rate sculpture, and the Leonardo picture of the Medusa's head'. Does not suppose 'anyone of taste looked at the Bot[t]icellis, except probably Reynolds'. Bessie seems to have had an interesting time in London; is writing to her today at Amsterdam. Julian seems well.