"Could Bertrand Russell come & see OS tomorrow" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box7/Fold1/Jan-July1919/13 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 16 June 1919 |
| Address From | 9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London |
| Address To | |
| Who To | John Brown |
| 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. Schreiner was resident at Porchester Place from early April 1917 until August 1920, when she left Britain for South Africa.
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1June 16th 1919
2
3Dear J.B.
4
5I hope all goes well with you all. I do hope our Julie gets better. I
6saw Alice Corthorn. She is very far from well.
7
8She has taken a cottage in Buckinghamshire for the next five months
9where her little girl & her cousin who takes care of her are going to
10live for the summer & Alice goes out every stat Saturday for the week
11end. Its a pretty place with a garden on a common, & has five bedrooms
12& two sitting rooms & kitchen &c. And she will spend her August
13holiday there.
14
15My brother Will, whose heart is very bad – (continual attacks of
16angina & great general weakness) has been kept lying quite still in
17bed for ten days by the doctors attending him, & on Saturday was sent
18to Llandrindod Wells for three months absolute rest. He had a through
19carriage so he could lay down all the time & Dot & Mrs Schreiner went
20with him. He stood the journey better than we had hoped. He is
21boarding with Dr & Mrs Parker (May Murray that was) dear sweet people,
22who will do all they can for him. They have a lovely house for
23invalids needing perfect rest. Will has been over working awfully &
24since the war began, he has never had a holiday of more than a couple
25of days, & that only three times in five years. No one could work like
26that. He can’t walk even a few steps without agony. Mrs Schreiner is
27quite better again & looks very well. There is now no trace of sugar
28in her blood, the doctors say she must only take care not to eat
29sweets of any kind.
30
31Little Ursula is expecting her baby at the end of this month. The heat
32here is very bad it is that which has broken Will finally – but after
33all it is nothing to the heat even in Cape Town. The bad thing about
34the heart is that the heat & cold seem almost equally bad for it.
35
36Public affairs are in a tremendous condition here & all over Europe.
37Do you take “the Nation”? I could send it you sometimes, also the
38“Daily Herald” if you dont take it regularly. Please give my love to
39dear Bessie Reitz what a splendid girl she is. What a good thing it is
40that as we drop out of the ranks, there are these fine young spirits
41to take our place. Give my love to dear Mary. I hope your wedding day
42gathering was a very happy one.
43
44Yours always & always with much love
45Olive
46
2
3Dear J.B.
4
5I hope all goes well with you all. I do hope our Julie gets better. I
6saw Alice Corthorn. She is very far from well.
7
8She has taken a cottage in Buckinghamshire for the next five months
9where her little girl & her cousin who takes care of her are going to
10live for the summer & Alice goes out every stat Saturday for the week
11end. Its a pretty place with a garden on a common, & has five bedrooms
12& two sitting rooms & kitchen &c. And she will spend her August
13holiday there.
14
15My brother Will, whose heart is very bad – (continual attacks of
16angina & great general weakness) has been kept lying quite still in
17bed for ten days by the doctors attending him, & on Saturday was sent
18to Llandrindod Wells for three months absolute rest. He had a through
19carriage so he could lay down all the time & Dot & Mrs Schreiner went
20with him. He stood the journey better than we had hoped. He is
21boarding with Dr & Mrs Parker (May Murray that was) dear sweet people,
22who will do all they can for him. They have a lovely house for
23invalids needing perfect rest. Will has been over working awfully &
24since the war began, he has never had a holiday of more than a couple
25of days, & that only three times in five years. No one could work like
26that. He can’t walk even a few steps without agony. Mrs Schreiner is
27quite better again & looks very well. There is now no trace of sugar
28in her blood, the doctors say she must only take care not to eat
29sweets of any kind.
30
31Little Ursula is expecting her baby at the end of this month. The heat
32here is very bad it is that which has broken Will finally – but after
33all it is nothing to the heat even in Cape Town. The bad thing about
34the heart is that the heat & cold seem almost equally bad for it.
35
36Public affairs are in a tremendous condition here & all over Europe.
37Do you take “the Nation”? I could send it you sometimes, also the
38“Daily Herald” if you dont take it regularly. Please give my love to
39dear Bessie Reitz what a splendid girl she is. What a good thing it is
40that as we drop out of the ranks, there are these fine young spirits
41to take our place. Give my love to dear Mary. I hope your wedding day
42gathering was a very happy one.
43
44Yours always & always with much love
45Olive
46