"Do not come, do not write, impersonal work" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box7/Fold2/Aug-Dec1919/28 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Saturday 27 October 1919 |
| Address From | 9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London |
| Address To | Trevaldwyn, Llandrindod Wells, Wales |
| Who To | May Murray Parker nee Murray |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The address this letter was sent to is provided by an attached envelope and the date is derived from its postmark. The final insertion, ‘Just got a wire...’, is written on the envelope.
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19 Porchester Place
2Edgware Rd
3Saturday
4
5My darling May,
6
7Betty came up a couple of day ago, meaning to spend two weeks in
8London, but this morning came a letter from Ali Hellen Greene, saying
9that Alice was worse & Betty had better return. So she is leaving
10tonight by the midnight train & I am going to see her off. I would go
11with her to Cornwall, for ill as I am I’m better than nothing, but I
12couldn’t get a bed room at Trevone & couldn’t trouble Helen Greene.
13 I believe Sir Graham Greene is down there now. She must have got
14worse very suddenly as Betty got quite a bright post card from her
15this morning. Betty is lying down now with a warm water bottle trying
16to sleep a little till it is time for her to start.
17
18Give my love to dear Lucy. Is she not a sweet & beloved child? So
19sincere & open!
20
21Betty was looking very well when she returned from Trevone – better
22than I have seen her look for year - quite fat!
23
24Betty says Alice has no pain; but she is getting very weak can only
25walk twice the length of this room.
26
27Good bye my darling May. Tell Lucy she must come & see me if she can
28when she returns & give me all your news.
29
30You chicken was so fine. Food here gets scarcer & dearer every day. We
31get only 1oz of butter a week, enough for two slices of bread. But
32what is all we suffer compared to what they suffer in Europe.
33
34Love to you both from
35Olive
36
37^Just got a wire Miss Greene better – I hope Betty will not leave at once^
38
2Edgware Rd
3Saturday
4
5My darling May,
6
7Betty came up a couple of day ago, meaning to spend two weeks in
8London, but this morning came a letter from Ali Hellen Greene, saying
9that Alice was worse & Betty had better return. So she is leaving
10tonight by the midnight train & I am going to see her off. I would go
11with her to Cornwall, for ill as I am I’m better than nothing, but I
12couldn’t get a bed room at Trevone & couldn’t trouble Helen Greene.
13 I believe Sir Graham Greene is down there now. She must have got
14worse very suddenly as Betty got quite a bright post card from her
15this morning. Betty is lying down now with a warm water bottle trying
16to sleep a little till it is time for her to start.
17
18Give my love to dear Lucy. Is she not a sweet & beloved child? So
19sincere & open!
20
21Betty was looking very well when she returned from Trevone – better
22than I have seen her look for year - quite fat!
23
24Betty says Alice has no pain; but she is getting very weak can only
25walk twice the length of this room.
26
27Good bye my darling May. Tell Lucy she must come & see me if she can
28when she returns & give me all your news.
29
30You chicken was so fine. Food here gets scarcer & dearer every day. We
31get only 1oz of butter a week, enough for two slices of bread. But
32what is all we suffer compared to what they suffer in Europe.
33
34Love to you both from
35Olive
36
37^Just got a wire Miss Greene better – I hope Betty will not leave at once^
38