"Coming war, fighting now?" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | T120 (M722): W.T. Stead Papers/62- pages 239-40 & 242 |
| Archive | National Archives Depot, Pretoria |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | After Start: Monday 1 February 1897 ; Before End: 27 February 1897 |
| Address From | London |
| Address To | |
| Who To | William Thomas Stead |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the National Archives Repository, Pretoria, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Micofilm Collections. Content shows that Schreiner was in London waiting for a book to be published and immanently about to leave for Italy. She left London for Italy at the end of February 1897 after Unwin published a book by her, and thus the dating of the letter and the place it was written from.
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1Monday
2
3Dear Friend
4
5It was a bitter disappointment to me that you could not come. I am yet
6more sorrow-ful to think you are ill.
7
8If you were a little nearer I would come to see you. I hope we shall
9leave on Friday morning for Italy. I have only been waiting to see my
10book out. It will appear next Wednesday. I send you a copy.
11
12Yours ever
13Olive Schreiner
14
15I have not felt so ill as I am doing now for ten years & can’t write
16as I would like. It’s this awful climate. I wish you could turn up in
17Italy while we are there.
18
19I have a little thing I have written, & if I knew you would never
20refer to it, or mention its existence in any way to any human-being
21till it is published I would send it you! But could you promise this?
22Would it be possible for you not to talk about it to any soul???
23
24Olive Schreiner
25
2
3Dear Friend
4
5It was a bitter disappointment to me that you could not come. I am yet
6more sorrow-ful to think you are ill.
7
8If you were a little nearer I would come to see you. I hope we shall
9leave on Friday morning for Italy. I have only been waiting to see my
10book out. It will appear next Wednesday. I send you a copy.
11
12Yours ever
13Olive Schreiner
14
15I have not felt so ill as I am doing now for ten years & can’t write
16as I would like. It’s this awful climate. I wish you could turn up in
17Italy while we are there.
18
19I have a little thing I have written, & if I knew you would never
20refer to it, or mention its existence in any way to any human-being
21till it is published I would send it you! But could you promise this?
22Would it be possible for you not to talk about it to any soul???
23
24Olive Schreiner
25
Notation
The book Schreiner was ‘waiting to see out’ is Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland. The ‘little thing’ Schreiner had written cannot be established.
The book Schreiner was ‘waiting to see out’ is Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland. The ‘little thing’ Schreiner had written cannot be established.