I have been staying with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. There is a very
small party, only Jane Vaughan and Winchester Hill besides myself. Just
before I came down here Housman asked me to dine with him at the
Carlton. I went and he was alone. After talking nervously on ordinary
topics, he told me he did not know what to do. It gradually came out
that Mrs Park is making his life quite unbearable. She won't let him see
any of his friends; she quarrels with Sarah, and has the most violent
scenes; she makes scenes every day, and not long ago, he said, broke a
fine piece of Venetian glass. He is miserable; he says he can't call his
soul his own. I told Lady Jarvis all about this and she said the only
thing to be done would be for Housman to get Mrs Housman to come back.
She has been away two months, and if she comes back at the end of the
month the worst of the winter will be over. She is very much worried
about Mrs Housman and says this is most unfortunate, as it would be
better really in every way if she were to stay out there. You see Edith
and Mrs Campion and Freda all think that it is only a passing fancy of
George's and that he will get over it and marry Lavinia Wray! Lady
Jarvis says this is wrong; she knows they are wrong. She thinks George
and Mrs Housman are desperately in love with each other and she doesn't
know how it will end. She is so worried that she nearly went out to
Florence last week. She had heard from Mrs Housman quite lately. She
said in her last letter that George had suggested coming out to Florence
for Christmas with Mrs Campion. She had told him that she would most
likely not be in Florence as the Albertis had asked her to spend
Christmas with them at Ravenna; she was not sure, however, whether she
would go or not. Whether George went or not, I don't know. He told me he
was going to spend Christmas with Mrs Campion at the Priory.