Paris-Manchester 1918
Conservatoires in time of war

My own darling Hope, Many thanks for your long welcome letter. I don’t yet know whether I shall be returned to Bury or not, but hope that we can discover before 22 May arrives.  If returned there I might be kept a while.  If we know beforehand that there won’t be an escort, I will be exceedingly glad to be fetched by you from here — if we know there will be one, a sight of Annie would be very welcome (but don’t let her come if it means rising in the small hours).  Apart from her, I think it would be best to give the Wandsworth rendez-vous to no-one except those COs [Conscientious Objectors] who say they want to come.  But regarding all this, I feel this further uncertainty – different dates have been suggested for the signature of Peace with Germany and the Chaplain here said to one of us here last week that May 11^th was a likely date; it does not seem impossible that the signature of Peace may produce amongst other things an amnesty, and even if the amnesty were carried out sluggishly, we might get fired out a little before the 22^nd.  It is unwise to build any personal hopes on this, but equally unwise to make too elaborate arrangements of the 22^nd.