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Letter ReferenceHRC/UNCAT/OS-59
ArchiveHarry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateThursday 23 July 1885
Address From9 Blandford Square, Paddington, London
Address To
Who ToHavelock Ellis
Other VersionsDraznin 1992: 372-3
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 information written onto it by Ellis. Schreiner was resident in Blandford Square for the last part of July 1885.
1Thursday night
2
3Comrade I’m tired. It rests me so to think of you. What should I do
4without you
5
6Olive
7
8Friday
9
10Did you think like that & like that about your Olive, & all the while
11she was loving you so! I will come on Saturday at 12.^30^ to Charing
12Cross, but you mustn’t come if you feel as you say in the letter
13that you don’t care about it, & only come for my sake. If you feel
14like that it’s sure to be miserable for both of us, when you are in
15that “I don’t care” mood. If it’s a very hot day I shan’t
16come & you can come on here “if you care to.”
17
18I think, you know, that I always feel that when you are with me I
19always feel that
you are wanting me to be someone not myself, & that
20makes me miserable I do want & nervous. You don’t care at all for me
21as I am, & likely I shall more & more become, a person who is always
22absorbed in thinking & feeling in an impersonal way. Such people are
23
24^not loveable but they can’t help being what they are^
25
26Olive
27
Notation
Draznin's (1992) version of this letter differs in some respects from our transcription.