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Letter ReferenceGL S10 (Olive Schreiner to Sir George Grey 4 Feb 1897)
ArchiveAuckland Libraries, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date4 February 1897
Address FromNew College, Eastbourne, East Sussex
Address To
Who ToSir George Grey
Other VersionsRive 1987: 300-1
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, New Zealand, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter to Sir George Grey, which is part of their Grey Collection. The letter is written on printed headed notepaper.
1New College Junior School,
2Eastbourne.
3
4Feb 4 / 97
5
6Dear Sir George Grey
7
8Thank you much for the words of sympathy with my little story sent me
9by your letter.
10
11Mr Molteno writes that we may call & see you for a few moments on
12Sunday afternoon. We shall come at three o'clock in the hope of seeing
13you. You are the one man of the English race, now alive, with regard
14to whom, I feel, that I should like to remember all my life, that I
15once shook hands with him. I will however not be the first time of my
16meeting you.
17
18When I was a baby of about two ^or three^ months old, in some of your
19travels in Africa you came to the mission station where my parents
20lived. I was very delicate & supposed to be dying. My mother told me
21that you took me in your arms & said “Poor little Baby, Is it so ill!”
22Whenever during my childhood my brothers or the other children used to
23tease me about anything, I always had the response “Ah but Sir George
24Grey
didn't hold you in his arms!” & I always found their respect for
25me very much increased after that!! I think I have it was at the time
26when you were travelling with Prince Alfred.
27
28I am very grateful to the friend who read my little story & liked, & I
29hope I shall meet her on Sunday.
30
31I am, dear Sir George Grey, yours with grateful affection
32Olive Schreiner
33
Notation
The ‘little story’ referred to is Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland, with Schreiner having sent an advance (presumably typescript) copy to Grey, asking for permission to dedicate the book to him. The dedication as it appears in the first edition is dated February 1897 and written from Russell Road, Kensington, London.