LOWER STONEHAMS
PANGBOURNE
BERKS.

Dear Olga

If you haven't already gone and been

at Rimini, would you please observe something for me there?

I want to know whether the outside or encasement is laid dry
or with mortar, ie, whether the stones are joined with some
kind of cement in the ordinary way, or whether they have been
ground so fine as to lie on one another and are secured only
by metal clamps in the manner of the Parthenon where the
Pentelic stones have actually grown together in the course of
centuries. Its very silly of me not to have observed this
for myself as probably the cement is quite obvious, but certainly
one doesn't remember it: and should the courses be laid dry, it
would explain a lot the sensation of that facade. However I
am only reasoning backwards.

Please salute Ezra for me, and if the cement is very old you
obvious you had better not mention this enquiry!