1 Oudeberg Hotel
2 Oudeburg
3 nr Graaff Reinet
4 Jan 29th 1911
5
6 Dear old Man,
7
8 I was glad of a word from you, & most glad to hear that our Bill had
9passed. He is a full fledged Barrister now I suppose, & can take
10cases? Or is there another exam yet?
11
12 Cron writes me Ursula has passed at which I greatly rejoice. Of
13Olivers success I have not yet heard, but of course he’s all right.
14
15 I arrived here yesterday. The dear Murray’s brought me down to
16Graaff Reinet & the Hotel Man fetched me from there. I wonder if
17you’ve ever been here? A strange place at the top of a high mountain
18pass, wild valleys & deep gorges full of rocks are about one, below
19the hotel, & just behind the house rises the last highest peak of the
20Oudeberg, like the top of table mountain with gigantic magnificent
21crags. Whenever I feel lonely I just rush outside & look up at it.
22There is absolute wild solitude here, but one could get very fond of
23that mountain, & if one only keeps well & can write everything is all
24right.
25
26 Mrs Murray is coming up to spend next Sunday here with me – 30 miles
27here & 30 miles back – a good drive!
28
29 We have a telegraph office here as we on the high road between
30Murray’s Berg & Graaff-Reinet, which is very nice.
31
32 unreadable
33
34 I’m doing no reading now as I have no books. But at the Murrays, I
35read right through all Shakespeares plays again. I’ve not done that
36since I was 19. Its very interesting. One gets so close in touch with
37the man, when ^one^ gets to feel by instinct which part of the plays are
38his & which are not: That thing of Ben Johnson’s, about "Nature’s
39child," uttering "his warbling woodnotes wild", is so utterly true of
40the real beloved Bill Shakespeare; & must seem so mysterious to the
41people who think all that dull padding from the older plays is his
42also. How is thy old heart now? Are you still doing without meat? Figs
43& apples if one can get them are the best food, & lemon & hot water
44for drink.
45
46 Thy small sister
47 Ol
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49