"Wonderful Dot Schreiner, tall thin woman who caused me no end of trouble" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | HRC/UNCAT/OS-68 |
| Archive | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Saturday 29 August 1885 |
| Address From | 16 Portsea Place, Westminster, London |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Havelock Ellis |
| Other Versions | Draznin 1992: 377 |
| 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 information written onto it by Ellis. Schreiner was resident at Portsea Place from mid August to late October 1885.
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1Saturday
2
3My Havelock, I somehow feel far from you & I can’t bear it. My one,
4own friend, my other self, to me what no human being can ever be
5however dear they are to me. My dear brother spirit, you know
6generally when you leave me I don’t feel as if you were gone away
7from me but this evening I felt as if you weren’t with me after you
8had gone & it made me so sad. I have been writing. Miss Müller
9hasn’t written so I’m not going tomorrow. Come about 2 on Monday.
10Don’t have lunch before you come. You know my heart aches over you
11tonight. I trust you utterly my Havelock like a little child trusts
12its mother.
13
14Good night my friend
15Olive
16
17^That dear little room that is going to be empty. I wish I had seen it
18once more.^
19
2
3My Havelock, I somehow feel far from you & I can’t bear it. My one,
4own friend, my other self, to me what no human being can ever be
5however dear they are to me. My dear brother spirit, you know
6generally when you leave me I don’t feel as if you were gone away
7from me but this evening I felt as if you weren’t with me after you
8had gone & it made me so sad. I have been writing. Miss Müller
9hasn’t written so I’m not going tomorrow. Come about 2 on Monday.
10Don’t have lunch before you come. You know my heart aches over you
11tonight. I trust you utterly my Havelock like a little child trusts
12its mother.
13
14Good night my friend
15Olive
16
17^That dear little room that is going to be empty. I wish I had seen it
18once more.^
19
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.