95 Sloane Street Monday. Dearest Father and best of correspondents. Grandpapa really is past words! poor little Phyllis! her letter is very touching. I gather that Aunt F. [Florence] is coming home at once - I hope she won't stay long. I'm so glad Joe Richardson is safely dead and buried! I shall tell Fritz next time I see him what your opinion of the Pease matter is. I spent Sunday with the Pollocks, very pleasant. John Morley came in just after I arrived and stayed a long time. He looks very well and is busy writing a life of Mr Gladstone. Sunday was a delicious day. Sir Fred Jack and I went for a long walk in the morning to the top of Blackdown. I told Sir F. all about the Bodleys and he said he thought the delay in bringing the action would be fatal to them and that he didn't see that they had a ghost of a chance. We discussed Reality and Sanscrit books for the rest of the walk! After lunch we sat in the garden and read some odes of Hafez till Mrs Thursby came. She is a charming little woman: she stayed to dinner. Herbert Paul came to tea with a very pretty little daughter - when I say little, she's about as tall as he is. I agree with you he's rather a wet sponge. He meant to be very aimiable [sic] but somehow he's too witty. One waits for his jokes to go off as one waits for a cannon to be fired. He was succeeded by Mr and Mrs Prothero who were like cheerful music after his cannon shots. She looks very very frail, poor little dear, and I believe he is very anxious about her. She can't eat anything and rest cures don't suit her and she gets smaller and smaller. They came up to town today and I'm going to see something of them. They are dear people. Uncle Lyulph called on Sunday and left a message to ask when I wd come and dine with him, so I've suggested Wednesday. We're quite the friends! I gather from Hugo that his candidature is off. Ronaldshay doesn't sound very promising - how I wish you could stand! That bit of country round Mount Grace is lovely - in all lights and seasons. I'm glad you had a nice time there. It's very interesting about Maurice - I don't think myself it's so immenent [sic], nor does Horace, but Horace doesn't think it will happen at all, and there I differ. Well, I shd be very glad. It's borne in on my [sic] I must give Alice a wedding present! Isn't it sad! She is extremely happy. Waterloo comes back in 4 weeks and they have a fortnight before the wedding and a fortnight after. Dayrell is moved to Brussells. Mrs Prothero had been staying at Newbiggin and Mrs Dayrell was there - very splendid and getting on admirably with her mother in law. Jack seems not to be going to Harvard for a year possibly. He had been staying with the Trevelyans! I laughed inside at the conjunction. I met the secretary of our SA Committee today - she was just coming to see me. She tells me Mrs Cecil is still in and they are put to it to know how to get through the work. I promised to undertake anything they like. She also said she'd heard from Mrs C. that Agnes was very dangerously ill indeed of scarlet fever but I don't know whether this news is later than Ambo's letter from Sidney G. a week ago saying she had been very ill and was better. We are to have a general meeting of all the committees on Monday. Our committee will be very short, for Agnes is ill, Maud Grenfell in deep mourning, Constance Russell, I should think, away. However I shall do to represent it. I went in this evening to say goodbye to Sophie and found her very tired - she has been seeing too many people today - and dreadfully gloomy about Freshwater prospects! She says she foresees she's going to have a very wiry[?] time for Aunt B. [Bessie[?]] will never let her have the baby one moment, and she feels she must make a stand. She almost wishes she weren't going at all, poor little thing! Henry fondly dreams that Aunt B. is going to leave them alone a fortnight at the end, but S. is sure she isn't - and so am I. I am so sorry for H. and S! I stayed only a minute or two. I daresay she'll feel better about it tomorrow when she is rested.
I return your letters in case you want them.

You shee [sic]! I've written a long letter too. Ever your affectionate daughter Gertrude