"Thrown away 10 years of my life to prevent inevitable" Read the full letter
Letter Reference | Steyn Papers: Emily Hobhouse (Olive Schreiner) 156/3/12/3 |
Archive | Free State Archives Repository, Bloemfontein |
Epistolary Type | Letter |
Letter Date | 29 September 1903 |
Address From | Hanover, Northern Cape |
Address To | |
Who To | Emily Hobhouse |
Other Versions | |
Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
Legend |
The Project is grateful to the Free State Archives Repository for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of their collections. The letter exists in the form of a handwritten copy made by Emily Hobhouse; the original cannot be traced. Either this letter or that dated 7 July 1903 is misdated, as content indicates that Hobhouse's visit to Schreiner, referred to in the July letter, had not taken place when this letter was written.
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1Copy
2From Olive Schreiner
3
4Hanover
5Sept: 29, 1903 (or 7)
6
7
8Dear Miss Hobhouse,
9
10I am writing at once in reply to your letter which has just come.
11
12It would be delightful if you could come but the 15th is such an
13unfortunate time. The Dutch Minister & his dear little wife will be
14away for 6 weeks at the Synod in Cape Town, & Mrs du Toit mys friend
15who has a beautiful house and everything very nice is expecting a baby
16& not able to have anyone to stay with her.
17
18I have only a tiny three roomed cottage & we are only this week
19leaving off taking our meals at the hotel as I have no cook. So there
20is nothing but the hotel left - and you know what an upcountry hotel
21it is! If you would like to come & stay at the hotel, I would fetch
22you from the station, and introduce you to whatever of interest our
23sad little town has and it would be a great joy to me. I have never
24seen such a place, its impossible to get private boarding & lodging,
25and none of our people seem to have a spare room to be able to take
26anyone in. If we hadn't ?turn up this little house I should have had
27to leave Hanover. About ten houses are in building now, so we shall
28soon be housed.
29
30If you feel you would care to come and stay at the hotel, please write
31and let me know in good time, because there are some of our country
32people who would like to come and see you if they could know in time.
33Your trip seems to me to have been productive of much good.
34
35Yours ever,
36Olive Schreiner
37
2From Olive Schreiner
3
4Hanover
5Sept: 29, 1903 (or 7)
6
7
8Dear Miss Hobhouse,
9
10I am writing at once in reply to your letter which has just come.
11
12It would be delightful if you could come but the 15th is such an
13unfortunate time. The Dutch Minister & his dear little wife will be
14away for 6 weeks at the Synod in Cape Town, & Mrs du Toit mys friend
15who has a beautiful house and everything very nice is expecting a baby
16& not able to have anyone to stay with her.
17
18I have only a tiny three roomed cottage & we are only this week
19leaving off taking our meals at the hotel as I have no cook. So there
20is nothing but the hotel left - and you know what an upcountry hotel
21it is! If you would like to come & stay at the hotel, I would fetch
22you from the station, and introduce you to whatever of interest our
23sad little town has and it would be a great joy to me. I have never
24seen such a place, its impossible to get private boarding & lodging,
25and none of our people seem to have a spare room to be able to take
26anyone in. If we hadn't ?turn up this little house I should have had
27to leave Hanover. About ten houses are in building now, so we shall
28soon be housed.
29
30If you feel you would care to come and stay at the hotel, please write
31and let me know in good time, because there are some of our country
32people who would like to come and see you if they could know in time.
33Your trip seems to me to have been productive of much good.
34
35Yours ever,
36Olive Schreiner
37