I have been much surprised and deeply hurt by Ronnie’s letter to me,
which I enclose for you to see. I cannot believe that he would have
written in that spirit of his own accord. I can only suppose that you
and Tom have been prejudicing him against me. Of course, he is your
child and not mine, but it is quite a mistake to imagine that, merely
because of the physical accident of parenthood, you are, for that
reason, divinely qualified to deal with a sensitive temperament like
Ronnie’s. I (not having my eyes blinded) can see quite clearly through
what he writes, that you have succeeded in _apparently_ bringing him
into agreement with your point of view; but, if you did but know it, you
are merely encouraging him to repress his natural feelings, with
consequences which may be _terrible to contemplate_. I can imagine
nothing worse for him than what you call change of scene and
companionship, when I know perfectly well that you mean that
unimaginative and completely insensitive Potts person. I cannot imagine
a more dangerous influence for a boy in Ronnie’s state of mind than a
footballing parson. The harm done by men of that class is quite
incalculable, and their minds are, as a rule, perfect sinks of dangerous
and sublimated libidos (I don’t know whether that is the right way to
spell the plural). However, it is your own affair, and I am powerless to
interfere, but I do think you ought not to set the boy against me,
merely because I am, unhappily, in a position to know more than you do
about certain facts of life.
Thank you, I am glad to say we are all very well. Mrs. Harrison’s
portrait is finished. It is a very striking piece of colour. Of course,
Mr. H. thinks it does not do her justice, but then, as you would expect,
he is quite out of sympathy with modern art.
We are relieved from the presence of Mr. Munting, who has gone to
Oxford, on a visit to some friends, or so he says. I think it is much
more likely that he is leading a double life somewhere. He unblushingly
confesses to having innumerable disreputable entanglements, and I am
very sorry indeed for the girl he is engaged to.
Your affectionate sister,
AGGIE