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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box11/Fold1/Dated/49
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateWednesday 26 November 1919
Address From9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London
Address ToTrevone, Padstow, Cornwall
Who ToAlice Greene
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease 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 date of this letter has been derived from the postmark on an attached envelope, while the address it was sent to is on its front. Schreiner was resident at Porchester Place from early April 1917 until August 1920, when she left Britain for South Africa.
1 Wednesday
2
3 My darling darling Alice
4
5 I hope getting letters doesn’t worry you, but I feel I must write to
6you just one word direct, to tell you how my arms are always
7stretching out to you across all the long way from here to Cornwall.
8
9 I am so glad you can see the sea from your window. I know you love it so.
10
11 I got such a sweet letter from Eva telling me what a joy it had been
12to her to be with you. What a thing of light & warmth she is. She like
13you has always been a "joy" to others. Its always been so beautiful to
14me that whenever I mentioned your name to any of your old girls, they
15always spoke of you not as of a school mistress, but as something that
16had always been a joy to them. Mays great remembrance of you y was how
17you liked to climb trees just as she did.
18
19 I know your loving heart will be glad to know that I am getting fonder
20& fonder of Oliver’s wife. I think I do begin really to understand
21her. She is the most fascinating person I ever met. I think its her
22exceeding sincerity added to her real sweetness that makes every one
23love her. I am going to have a great joy tomorrow – to go & see my
24friend Mrs Hodgson & her tiny new baby.
25
26 I’ve been trying to buy an "English Review" because I know it will
27interest you & Betty so – there is not a copy to be had now anywhere,
28 but they say that on the 7th of Dec I shall be able to buy some
29second hand copies of the Nov number & I’ll send it then. I’ve
30just got Shaws new book, but have not read it yet.
31
32 Darling if I could put my love into words – but you must feel it
33coming to you across all the miles.
34
35 Olive
36
37
38
Notation
'Shaw's new book' is likely to be: George Bernard Shaw (1919) Peace Conference Hints London: Constable & Co.