Olive Schreiner Letters Online

Letter Reference	HRC/CAT/OS/1b-ivHRC/OS/FRAGHRC/CAT/OS/FRAG/NFPg
Archive	Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin
Epistolary Type	Letter
Letter Date	15 July 1884
Address From	Bolehill, Wirksworth, Derbyshire
Address To	24 Thornsett Road, South Penge Park, London
Who To	Havelock Ellis
Other Versions	Draznin 1992: 98-9

The manuscript of this letter by Olive Schreiner belongs to the Archive referenced above; its ownership of the original should be acknowledged by referencing the letter as indicated: Copyright transcription: © Olive Schreiner Letters Project. This transcription can be freely used as long as copyright is acknowledged and it is referenced using the following citation: ‘Olive Schreiner to Havelock Ellis, 15 July 1884, Harry Ransom Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Olive Schreiner Letters Project transcription’. Please also supply letter line numbers for specific quotations.

Legend
The Project is grateful to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscript Collections. This letter is composed of a number of elements, which are now separated in the HRC collections as the result of pre-archiving happenstance, and it has been dated by reference to an associated envelope. Schreiner stayed at Bolehill near Wirksworth from early to late July 1884, moved to Buxton for about ten days, and then returned to Bole Hill from mid August to early September 1884.

1:  I have been reading Miss Jones’s letter again. I feel so sorry for
2:  her, but I feel so sorry for you I feel quite sore. When she says
3:  “you are of kin – whether Olive Schreiner is I don’t know” &c
4:  what does she mean? Of “kin” with Hinton, of “kin” with whom?
5:  I hope my darling has not been forgetful to her in her trouble. We
6:  must bring down our broad desire to help other people, & let it force
7:  itself down into the little tiny acts with regard to other people, as
8:  well as in our general thinking & working for their good. But I fancy
9:  you need less to be reminded of this than I do.
10: 
11:  Please write the names of some good books. I don’t know what to send
12:  for. Have you read the life of Ellen Watson? I wonder if it would help
13:  Miss Jones if I were to write to her a good deal, nice long letters,
14:  or if she would dislike it. What do you think
15: 
16:  Don’t let the thought of me keep you from going to see her, because
17:  you knew you are my own boy whatever you are doing. You must do
18:  what’s right, & what you feel you can.
19: 
20:  [top of paper torn away] I have an idea now that what is the matter with
21:  me just now is hay-fever. I’ve never been just like this before. Do
22:  you know of any little quiet, country, sea side place near this part
23:  of England where I could go, & where you could come for your holiday?
24:  By the sea I am always so well, & I want to be so well when you are
25:  with me. This place is so beautiful & the quiet so sweet. I would like
26:  to live here always.
27: 
28:  [top of paper torn away] good as I can [paper torn away] is best I left
29:  out those parts. I will make it best. You help me so.
30: 
31:  My Dadda writes to me some times, now & then a little note. You
32:  don’t know how good & thoughtful he is for me.
33: 

Notation
The book referred to is: Anna Buckland (1883) A Record of Ellen Watson London: Macmillan. Draznin's (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription.