"Not sex love, our intellectual relations" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | MacFarlane-Muirhead/27 |
| Archive | MacFarlane Collection |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | March 1915 |
| Address From | Kensington Palace Mansions, De Vere Gardens, Kensington, London |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Robert Franklin ('Bob') Muirhead |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to Mrs Hazel MacFarlane for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter to Bob Muirhead, which is part of the MacFarlane family collection of Muirhead Papers, Special Collections, University of Glasgow Library. Schreiner was resident at Kensington Palace Gardens from late October 1914 to late July 1915. This letter is written on printed headed notepaper. It has been dated by reference to other Muirhead letters concerned with his 'invention'.
|
1Telephone: 3675 Kensington.
2Telegrams: Apartment, London.
3
4Kensington Palace Mansions & Hotel,
5De Vere Gardens, W.
6
7Dear Bob you call me “nauty Olive” for nothing. I have told no one
8of your invention, for one thing I couldn’t! I understand so little
9about it – you only told me as I understood, that it was something
10that would require a new kind of ship to be built for it. Four people
11have told me about the net a mile long to stretch across the sea. Four
12days ago a man who is has made some valuable inventions ^which have
13worked^ tode told me he was making two new ones, & he also talked about
14the net & said it was succeeding splendidly. I ^laughed about the net &
15said I didn’t believe it would succeed & that^ laughed & said I hoped
16his inventions would not succeed as, I had a friend who was making one,
17 & I hoped his would be taken! Do B ^I told him nothing about the
18ship ?expressly^ Afterwards the thought did strike me that perhaps ^I
19had misunderstood you &^ the net might be your invention & I was so
20delighted I sat down & wrote to you at once. But you certainly told me
21nothing about a net, ^the net I have talked of to many people as many
22people have told me about,^ I understood it was a ship I do hope it
23will come off; though its rather strange that your invention should be
24one for taking life!!! The peaceful loving Bob!!! But I do wickedly
25want you to get some money.
26
27I I am not going to ?Bradford I’ve sent my letter to be read. I
28can’t afford the journey.
29Olive
30
31Understand, I have talked about the net to many people; it was being
32dis-cussed in a room with ten people were I was the other night, not
33at all as a secret!!!
34
35When Carpenter was here, we talked about you, & I said you had made an
36invention but told him, as indeed with nothing about it. I really
37don’t understand what it is. I only said that I felt sure whatever
38inventions you made other people would make md money & you ?would
39
40I am sorry to hear about your friends death. Was it heart disease? Its
41good to die suddenly; its the long years of suffering before that are
42so terrible.
43
2Telegrams: Apartment, London.
3
4Kensington Palace Mansions & Hotel,
5De Vere Gardens, W.
6
7Dear Bob you call me “nauty Olive” for nothing. I have told no one
8of your invention, for one thing I couldn’t! I understand so little
9about it – you only told me as I understood, that it was something
10that would require a new kind of ship to be built for it. Four people
11have told me about the net a mile long to stretch across the sea. Four
12days ago a man who is has made some valuable inventions ^which have
13worked^ tode told me he was making two new ones, & he also talked about
14the net & said it was succeeding splendidly. I ^laughed about the net &
15said I didn’t believe it would succeed & that^ laughed & said I hoped
16his inventions would not succeed as, I had a friend who was making one,
17 & I hoped his would be taken! Do B ^I told him nothing about the
18ship ?expressly^ Afterwards the thought did strike me that perhaps ^I
19had misunderstood you &^ the net might be your invention & I was so
20delighted I sat down & wrote to you at once. But you certainly told me
21nothing about a net, ^the net I have talked of to many people as many
22people have told me about,^ I understood it was a ship I do hope it
23will come off; though its rather strange that your invention should be
24one for taking life!!! The peaceful loving Bob!!! But I do wickedly
25want you to get some money.
26
27I I am not going to ?Bradford I’ve sent my letter to be read. I
28can’t afford the journey.
29Olive
30
31Understand, I have talked about the net to many people; it was being
32dis-cussed in a room with ten people were I was the other night, not
33at all as a secret!!!
34
35When Carpenter was here, we talked about you, & I said you had made an
36invention but told him, as indeed with nothing about it. I really
37don’t understand what it is. I only said that I felt sure whatever
38inventions you made other people would make md money & you ?would
39
40I am sorry to hear about your friends death. Was it heart disease? Its
41good to die suddenly; its the long years of suffering before that are
42so terrible.
43