Item 127 - Letter from Sophie Weisse to Elizabeth Trevelyan

'Mile End House, Englefield Green, Surrey' printed on the first sheet, but '93 High Street, Knaphill' written on the second. - Bessie has several times apologised for not addressing her by her 'Mus. Doc' title; she 'shrank from it at the time', and does not mind what she is called, but has to be 'careful to be "Doctored" because Donald [Tovey] cannot endure me to omit the "Dr". Dr Bluth is 'most kind... and very helpful' and his letter greatly distresses her; does not care about the violin concerto but cares 'everything in the world' about the recovery of Donald's hands 'so that some record may be left of his playing'. There is none, and Lady Tovey has 'lost' Sophie Weisse's entire collection of press notices; Lady Tovey intends to stay at Hedenham till the middle of January, a very damp spot and 'as Dr Thin indignantly says "you step down into the house from the grass"', while Lady Tovey 'may or may not be infectious'. Dr [Hugh Andrew?] Gordon Watson and his colleague in Bath told her they were anxious about Donald and believed that 'all his ill health' sprang from his association with Clara Tovey. Knows this is true, but in addition Hedenham is 'a fatal place'; wants Donald to 'come away altogether' and has offered them this house with she herself going to Edinburgh where she has 'arranged a complete bombproof shelter'. Also cares about the 'burden on Mollie Grierson', who has commented that it is 'like a miracle' seeing Donald 'straighten up the moment he has a conducting stick in his hand' but is struggling with all his work while her mother is ill after two operations. He will have to give up the Royal Terrace house; ought to live where Professor Niecks lived, near his classroom on the warm south side of Edinburgh; Lady Tovey bought 'the Royal Terrace house for a song: the owner having committed suicide'. John [Wellcome Tovey] writes that Lady Tovey is weak and therefore irritated, and there are rows [this in German] ; John may himself be rude; he also says Donald cannot play at all on the large piano, and they did so much for his hands at the Westminster Hospital.