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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box3/Fold3/1904/30
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateSaturday 19 November 1904
Address FromHanover, Northern Cape
Address To
Who ToAlice Greene
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. The date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand. The name of the addressee is indicated by salutation and content. Schreiner was resident in Hanover from September 1900 to October 1907, after 1902 with visits, sometimes fairly lengthy, elsewhere.
1 Saturday
2
3 My darling Friend
4
5 I got your letter this morning I most fully understand it. I feel so
6sure the going to England is the best thing, & the sooner you go the
7better. I can’t understand anyone’s staying here who can go I
8can’t
. My place is here, or, wherever my husband is. I am so sorry I
9posted that letter to Miss Molteno yesterday. It was very thoughtless
10of me, but I was just writing it when Cron came in to tell me he was
11leaving at once for Cape Town. I had heard nothing of the whole matter
12though it had been going on for weeks. I really don’t mind much,
13I’m not just saying it. And it may be my brother Will will not think
14so seriously of it as I do. If it goes to trial before the Supreme
15Court the mere costs will amount to some hundreds; it but it seems to
16me the case may be won won on the ground that Cron’s letters to
17Sampson ^(the Attorney General)^ & the Master of the Supreme Court were
18marked "private." As he has never mentioned the matter to any one, he
19tells me I hardly see how the man can get his £1000 damages. But some
20how it doesn’t trabl trouble me. I feel curiously peaceful about
21every thing, that has happened or does happen or can happen.
22
23 I will write & let you know when Cron returns on Tuesday morning how
24it goes.
25
26 I am sure what Miss Molteno needs is to go into quite a new world. You
27& Helen & she must go to Switzerland or Germany. Have you been to
28South Germany? It’s so nice & the peasants are so sweet & lovable.
29The dear little village where my father was born is always a dream of
30peace & sweetness to me.
31
32 I am better the last few days: & Hanover seems so much much more
33endurable to me; now I expect nothing & don’t mind.
34
35 Dear little Squires looked in for half an hour this morning. He was
36looking thin & ill. Please You know my sweet darling friends you
37couldn’t help me by being in this country, & I’m so glad you are
38going. unreadable If I can only hear you are both getting quite strong
39& well on the continent. Perhaps some day you will return & Helen may
40be with you, & you’ll really settle down somewhere & Miss Forrest &
41Miss Smith can come too.
42
43 You know my dream has always been that one could knock about the world
44when one was young, but when one got older settle down to a large
45broad sort of home life. A household with plenty of people of all
46sorts & kinds who love each other & have some sort of need of
47eachother – as Rebekah does in my novel.
48
49 Good bye, darling.
50
51 I wish you could have seen Cron in town. But he will only arrive
52Sunday morning, go straight to my brother Will’s, & return again by
53the Sunday evening train. I’ll write a real letter soon.
54 Olive
55
56^My little boy has got a little boy to play with him this afternoon &
57he I have given them sweets & marbles & they are very happy in the
58yard. ^
59
60 Olive
61
62
63
Notation
'Rebekah in my novel' refers to a character is From Man to Man.