"My arms stretching out to Alice Greene; if I could put my love into words, must feel it coming to you across the miles" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceHRC/CAT/OS/3b-xvii
ArchiveHarry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateWednesday 17 December 1884
Address FromAlexandra House, Denmark Place, Hastings, East Sussex
Address To24 Thornsett Road, South Penge Park, London
Who ToHavelock Ellis
Other VersionsDraznin 1992: 266-7
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscript Collections. This letter has been dated by reference to an associated envelope and its postmark, which also provides the address it was sent to. Schreiner was resident at two addresses in Hastings from the end of November 1884 to the end of April 1885. The letter from Eleanor Marx is no longer attached.
1Wednesday night
2
3I have just got your letter. I enclose Eleanor Marx’s. I should much
4like to come up to that Nora reading. How would it be if I was to come
5up for a week in place of your coming here. We should really be able
6to see so little of each other, there are days when I can’t get out
7at all; & we have no place here where we could talk for five minute.
8Then there is Miss Jones.
9
10You mustn’t mention E. Badford’s letter but I know Eleanor
11wouldn’t mind my sending it you.
12
13I got a nice letter from Mrs. Cobb this morning Send back the “Pall
14Mall.” You see I could see the Doctor if I came up, & I could get
15rooms in the heart of Bloomsbury & that might do me good. I should
16like & will try to find a boarding house as rooms in that part are too
17expensive.
18
19Oh Harry, if I could have spent all the winter in London.
20
21Olive
22
Notation
Upside down on the back of the second side of paper is a letter Schreiner had started and discarded:

‘Alexandra House
Denmark Pl
Hastings
Ja Dec 17 / 84
Dear Mrs Fremmin’.

The ‘Nora’ reading was of Frances Lord’s translation; see Henrik Ibsen (1882) Nora (later A Doll’s House) (trans. Henrietta Frances Lord) London: Giffith, Farran & Co. Draznin’s (1992) version of this letter is in some respects different from our transcription.