Item 129 - Letter from Sophie Weisse to Elizabeth Trevelyan

1 item.

93 Knaphill High Street, Woking. - Sends the Trevelyans all good wishes, and is 'thankful' they are alive, for Donald [Tovey]'s sake. Originally enclosing a volume which reached her on Christmas Day; she 'nearly cried with joy' as she has been 'so alone and "ausgestossen" [pushed out]'; she should have been in Edinburgh with Donald, and now Lady Tovey has even 'roped in' John [Wellcome Tovey] by giving him lots of money and allowing 'a very violent flirtation with the then chauffeuse', which even Dr Blut [sic: Bluth] noticed. Feels that Dr Bluth only saw the surface of things at Hedenham; asks why he did not question there being 'two cases of rheumatoid arthritis in the same house''; Donald only started to show the signs of rheumatism 'if it is rheumatism' shortly after his marriage and went to Bath, where on a visit to see him she was visited by [Andrew] Gordon Watson and another doctor saying they were anxious about him and that all his ill health was 'caused by his association with Mrs Tovey'; she was too emotional to discuss the matter further. Hedenham is also 'one of the dampest places in Britain'; on a visit there in November she once saw rainwater from a storm come in under the front door, flow along the passage and out of the back door. Was very disappointed in Dr Bluth for not seeing the truth of things and has not written to him, but is now tempted to ask if he can do anything else to help; liked him very much. She and Mary Grierson believe Lady Tovey wants Donald to give up his Professorship., when 'even giving up playing would cause him to drift into insanity'. John talks of him as 'not sane'. Lady Tovey, Miss Morrah and even John have told her that Donald does not practise only because he is 'lazy'; she has told John he 'cannot come here if he dares to speak like that' of Donald. She and Mary Grierson believe Donald must have work to recover: '[p]ut a conducting stick into his hand and after three rehearsals he will be himself', but 'Lady Tovey does not like Edinburgh'.

Is alarmed by the inscription in the book she sends; asks if Bessie and Dr Bluth can help. There is a good Swedish masseuse here who has been helping her with sciatica; longs to have Donald 'in this warm little house and see his hands correctly massaged'; he will go mad if he loses his hands. Has been ill herself but is slowly recovering; Dr Bluth could perhaps read the letter and look at the inscription in the book, which she asks Bessie to send back soon.

The final sheet seems to be a copy of the inscription in the book sent by Sophie Weisse, perhaps in Robert Trevelyan's hand, calling Volume VI [of Tovey's "Essays in Musical Analysis"?] 'a Christmas Card partially completing a record but completely exhausting any reasonable persons patience... This is written with paralysed finger tips but by a perfectly sane and very courteous writer'.