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Letter ReferenceHRC/CAT/OS/3b-ii
ArchiveHarry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateTuesday 2 December 1884
Address FromAlexandra House, Denmark Place, Hastings, East Sussex
Address To24 Thornsett Road, South Penge Park, London
Who ToHavelock Ellis
Other VersionsRive 1987: 55-6; Draznin 1992: 238-9
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
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 has been dated by reference to an associated envelope and its postmark, which also provides the address it was sent to. Schreiner was resident at two addresses in Hastings from the end of November 1884 to the end of April 1885.
1Tuesday Night
2
3How sweet to write to you. Thankyou for your letter. Henry, do you
4know, it seems as if I had been weeks & weeks in this house. I am
5better. I think the cough & the expectoration both, now I am onlyy so
6weak. My mind has never felt like it does now except that week in
7Norwood. If it were not for you I would kill myself. If I get into
8apartments will you or my Louie come & spend a few days with me, even
9if I am better, because my mind longs so for love. Don’t you despise
10me & think me very weak? I never used to be so.
11
12I have never been in such a bad boarding house as this, they don’t
13have any food hardly, & they are such dreadful unreadable people I
14can’t stay here & I don’t know where I shall get apartments. All
15our money for going to Paris is used up now. Henry, I think I shall go
16mad if I keep on
17
18^It would be no use coming here because I couldn’t put my arms round
19you & we couldn’t talk, but when I am in rooms you will come, even
20if I am better?^
21
22Olive
23
24^Wednesday morning.^
25
26I am a little better. I have slept lying down well. I got a note from
27my brother this morning.
28
Notation
Draznin's (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription. Rive's (1987) version omits part of the letter and is in a number of other respects incorrect.