1 Le Grand Hotel et D’Alassio
2 Alassio
3 Riviera, Italie
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5 My dear old Sister
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7 Thank you for your interesting long letter. You write better letters
8than anyone – when you do write!
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10 I hope Will got my letter posted last week telling him how very well
11Dr Corthorn thought Oliver looking. She thinks she never saw him look
12so well.
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14 Your letter came just when I needed it as I was lying ill in bed.
15About ten days ago those pains came on that I had that Sunday at
16Muizenberg, but much worse. They lasted for a 6 days with only a
17little relief when the doctor gave large doses of morphia. He says it
18is stone in the kidneys. He is giving me very strong medicine to
19dissolve it. The ladies visiting at this hotel were unspeakably kind
20to me. For 6 nights they took it by turns to sit up with me all night.
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22 I am much better now. Yesterday I went downstairs for the first time,
23& I was quite touched the welcome every one gave me, even the waiters.
24When I think that a month ago I had never seen any of them its
25wonderful. A German lady hired a carriage this afternoon & took me for
26a beautiful drive. I seem to have been in luck’s way ever since I
27landed in Europe every one has been so good to me. I don’t think I
28shall feel able to leave for Florence till the end of this month. I
29shall then try Carloni’s cure for a month, & then in the first or
30second week in April move back to England. It will be splendid if the
31dear old man does come & I find him there. I shall be staying with
32Alice Corthorn, though going to visit other friends at Oxford &c. I
33shall run up for one day to Cambridge I want to see the childrens
34rooms & be able to picture their surroundings. I mustn’t write more
35now. Give my love all the friends who ask after me. I never knew how I
36loved Africa till I left it in spite of all the suffering the climate
37has given me, & the agony that public affairs there must always be to
38me. I cannot tell you how I have felt Jan Smuts acting as he has done.
39This is only the beginning of things, not the end.
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41 Did I tell Will that our beautiful large beloved Persian cat Boy-Boy
42is dead, after being terribly ill & suffering great agony. Poor Cron
43is quite broken hearted. He loved Cron more than I ever dreamed a cat
44could love any one & Cron loved him almost better than anything in the
45world.
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47 I had such a curious feeling I would never see him again when I said
48good bye to him & yet he was so young not 2 years old.
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50^Good bye dear. ^
51 Olive
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53 ^I’m so glad Minnie de Villiers has passed her exam.^
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