"Act now against Rhodes or life-long regret" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box6/Fold4/1918/12 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 19 April 1918 |
| Address From | 9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London |
| Address To | Kenilworth, Cape Town, Western Cape |
| Who To | Caroline Murray nee Molteno |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please 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 address which this letter was sent to is written on an attached envelope.
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1
9 Porchester Place
2 Edgware Rd
3 April 19th 1918
4
5 Dear dear Mrs Murray,
6
7 My whole heart is with you. Your beautiful, beautiful boy! No one
8could know him with out loving him. We got the news last night. Betty
9was with me. She quite colapsed, on & we (Alice Greene was by great
10good fortune here too) laid her down in front of the fire, & put warm
11water bottles to her heart & feet, & I massaged her hands & after a
12time she came back. We moved a bed into her room & Alice slept there
13with her. She is quite herself today but still lying down. She has not
14tried to go to Palace Court as Percy telephoned Margaret & her mother
15could see no one today. Oh my dear friend how my heart is with you &
16with our dear May at Llandrindod – I have half a hope she may come
17to be with Margaret. I think it would comfort them both. Did you get
18my little line about their wedding? He looked so beautiful & happy. It
19was a beautiful, pure, young life, with no shade upon it. Everyone
20loved him. The great comfort is that he didn’t have a time of
21suffering. I know what a blow it will be to his father. Betty & I are
22always talking of you out there.
23
24 Don’t trouble to reply to this but I feel I must write to you.
25Please give Kathleen the enclosed letter.
26
27 I will write again & tell you about Betty. She is quite better today
28her beautiful brave self.
29
30 Yours with tender love
31 Olive Schreiner
32
2 Edgware Rd
3 April 19th 1918
4
5 Dear dear Mrs Murray,
6
7 My whole heart is with you. Your beautiful, beautiful boy! No one
8could know him with out loving him. We got the news last night. Betty
9was with me. She quite colapsed, on & we (Alice Greene was by great
10good fortune here too) laid her down in front of the fire, & put warm
11water bottles to her heart & feet, & I massaged her hands & after a
12time she came back. We moved a bed into her room & Alice slept there
13with her. She is quite herself today but still lying down. She has not
14tried to go to Palace Court as Percy telephoned Margaret & her mother
15could see no one today. Oh my dear friend how my heart is with you &
16with our dear May at Llandrindod – I have half a hope she may come
17to be with Margaret. I think it would comfort them both. Did you get
18my little line about their wedding? He looked so beautiful & happy. It
19was a beautiful, pure, young life, with no shade upon it. Everyone
20loved him. The great comfort is that he didn’t have a time of
21suffering. I know what a blow it will be to his father. Betty & I are
22always talking of you out there.
23
24 Don’t trouble to reply to this but I feel I must write to you.
25Please give Kathleen the enclosed letter.
26
27 I will write again & tell you about Betty. She is quite better today
28her beautiful brave self.
29
30 Yours with tender love
31 Olive Schreiner
32
Notation
Attached to this letter is Schreiner's enclosed letter to Kathleen Murray, of the same date; it will be found at Olive Schreiner BC16/Box6/Fold4/1918/13.
Attached to this letter is Schreiner's enclosed letter to Kathleen Murray, of the same date; it will be found at Olive Schreiner BC16/Box6/Fold4/1918/13.