"The trial, Rhodes removing names from voters' lists, educated Christian Kaffir" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Levine Collection/1 |
| Archive | Ronald Levine Collection, Johannesburg |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 8 April 1885 |
| Address From | Hastings, East Sussex |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Havelock Ellis |
| Other Versions | Cronwright-Schreiner 1924: 69 |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to Ronald Levine for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of the Ronald Levine Collection. Its content provides the name of the addressee, while Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) version provides the date and that it was written from Hastings.
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^1Have just received this please go & see them, & write & tell me just how
2Aveling is - If he gets dangerously ill I must go & see him. Please go.
3
4Miss Marks called this afternoon; she is delightful, charming, an
5emotional Miss Müller, tell me all you can about her. I am not yet
6able to go out. Will try tomorrow, legs bother & I keep getting faint.
7
8Olive^
9 ^
10I haven't been able to work today.
11
12I shall be able to see your father when I am in London. If the A's are
13very hard up I must try to send them something but I am hard up myself
14just now.
15
16I like you a little even though you are a man^
17
2Aveling is - If he gets dangerously ill I must go & see him. Please go.
3
4Miss Marks called this afternoon; she is delightful, charming, an
5emotional Miss Müller, tell me all you can about her. I am not yet
6able to go out. Will try tomorrow, legs bother & I keep getting faint.
7
8Olive^
9 ^
10I haven't been able to work today.
11
12I shall be able to see your father when I am in London. If the A's are
13very hard up I must try to send them something but I am hard up myself
14just now.
15
16I like you a little even though you are a man^
17
Notation
Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) version of this letter is incorrect in various ways. The letter is written onto a letter to Schreiner from Eleanor Marx, which is on printed headed notepaper and as follows:
55, Great Russell Street, W. C.
5. 4. 85.
My darling Olive,
I always long for you, but now more than ever. Edward is very ill. You will know all that means to me. I could not tell you. The real help is that you need no telling – Donkin (blessings on him!) was here this morning. With care, it may be over soon: on the other hand it may be serious. You will know all the agony there is in that “may.”. He depends really on the "care" he takes. But how can the poor - & we are very poor - take care? ….
Darling, I can’t write though there is much I fain would say to you. You will understand.
Write to me my own little Olive.
Your
Eleanor
Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) version of this letter is incorrect in various ways. The letter is written onto a letter to Schreiner from Eleanor Marx, which is on printed headed notepaper and as follows:
55, Great Russell Street, W. C.
5. 4. 85.
My darling Olive,
I always long for you, but now more than ever. Edward is very ill. You will know all that means to me. I could not tell you. The real help is that you need no telling – Donkin (blessings on him!) was here this morning. With care, it may be over soon: on the other hand it may be serious. You will know all the agony there is in that “may.”. He depends really on the "care" he takes. But how can the poor - & we are very poor - take care? ….
Darling, I can’t write though there is much I fain would say to you. You will understand.
Write to me my own little Olive.
Your
Eleanor