"Wonderful Dot Schreiner, tall thin woman who caused me no end of trouble" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | HRC/CAT/OS/3b-xxi |
| Archive | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Saturday 20 December 1884 |
| Address From | Alexandra House, Denmark Place, Hastings, East Sussex |
| Address To | 24 Thornsett Road, South Penge Park, London |
| Who To | Havelock Ellis |
| Other Versions | Draznin 1992: 270 |
| Permissions | Please 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.
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1Sat Morning
2
3I forgot to tell to tell you that Miss Jones came yesterday to invite
4me to stay with them from Sat to Monday. Of course I decline. I
5don’t know why she is so determined to have me.
6
7My chest is very bad. I have taken one little bed room on the fourth
8floor in Robertson Terrace. The sittingrooms there however small cost
9£2 a week but I am thankful to have got a bed-room, but I think I
10shall get better there because it is so sheltered. There’ll be the
11same impossibility of your coming to see me, but if you come I will
12get you a bed & sitting room some where close. & I will come every day
13& see my boy. What does it matter what Miss Jones says about me.
14
15Is my boys cold better? I have read that letter of yours over so often.
16 Ach Henry I’m not so beautiful & sweet “inside” as my boy
17thinks.
18
19Perhaps I shall get quite well at Robertson Terrace because it’s so
20sheltered Good by my comrade
21
22Your, Olive
23
24I can’t write nice letters now because I can’t think nice letters
25come out of a nice little, bright little head. I’ll be like that at
26Robertson Terrace.
27
2
3I forgot to tell to tell you that Miss Jones came yesterday to invite
4me to stay with them from Sat to Monday. Of course I decline. I
5don’t know why she is so determined to have me.
6
7My chest is very bad. I have taken one little bed room on the fourth
8floor in Robertson Terrace. The sittingrooms there however small cost
9£2 a week but I am thankful to have got a bed-room, but I think I
10shall get better there because it is so sheltered. There’ll be the
11same impossibility of your coming to see me, but if you come I will
12get you a bed & sitting room some where close. & I will come every day
13& see my boy. What does it matter what Miss Jones says about me.
14
15Is my boys cold better? I have read that letter of yours over so often.
16 Ach Henry I’m not so beautiful & sweet “inside” as my boy
17thinks.
18
19Perhaps I shall get quite well at Robertson Terrace because it’s so
20sheltered Good by my comrade
21
22Your, Olive
23
24I can’t write nice letters now because I can’t think nice letters
25come out of a nice little, bright little head. I’ll be like that at
26Robertson Terrace.
27
Notation
Draznin's (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription.
Draznin's (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription.