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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box7/Fold3/Jan-Feb1920/1
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date1 January 1920
Address From9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London
Address To
Who ToBetty Molteno
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. Schreiner was resident at Porchester Place from early April 1917 until August 1920, when she left Britain for South Africa.
1 New Years Day
2
3 Darling Betty
4
5 I have written to Margaret & sent her off Dillon’s book. I have
6ordered the other two, but the p Booksellers say the copies of new
7edition will not be ready till the end of the week. I told the
8Bookseller Bumpus, to do it up & post it at once so that it may fetch
9^catch^ this post which leaves tomorrow I am so glad Eva & her husband
10are coming to see Alice Oh I want all the love in the world to fold
11that darling about, she, whose life has been one long outgiving to
12others, & bringing joy & sweetness wherever she went. You ask me what
13I did on Xmas day? In the afternoon about four o’clock I went to see
14Alice Corthorn, but I was so bad I could not come back that night &
15had to sit up all night in a chair by in the drawing room, by a gas
16fire, but I was able to get back ^here^ in the morning. When Alice said
17good bye to me, she burst out crying & threw her arms round me & said
18"Oh Olive I hope this is the last Xmas you will ever spend." I thought
19it so kind of her. I did not see or speak to any one all the week till
20last night when Oliver & Edna came to see me for a few moments. It was
21such a joy to me. It has made my new year quite right.
22
23 Things seem going well with Russia, for which I am so grateful. I
24can’t tell you how Keynes book has helped me, because I feel people
25must be influenced by it if they are sincere. My anxiety is for our
26poor natives in Africa.
27
28 During the last weeks such an always growing pity seems to fill my
29heart for all the world. Those who can’t love & who want to crush &
30kill most, because they miss all the beauty of life. I had a lovely
31Xmas letter from dear Miny de Villiers. Her husband is going as a
32judge to Bloemfontein.
33
34 Also from my dear little sister-in-law. Every one says Ursies baby is
35getting so lovely.
36
37 Love to my Alice.
38 Olive
39
40 PS. I think its perhaps more restful for you to be in another house
41– you come in fresher to our darling. I hope you have a nice room
42with an out look. I am sending you the Keizer’s letter to the Czar.
43These kings must go – all of them. They can’t help being what they
44are with the training they’ve had.
45
46 I had a long letter from Ruth Alexander also, written on her way to
47America & posted a Barbadoes.
48
Notation
The books referred to are: Emile Joseph Dillon (1919) The Peace Conference London: Hutchinson & Co; John Maynard Keynes (1919) The Economic Consequences of the Peace London: Macmillan & Co.