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Letter ReferenceEdward Carpenter 359/61
ArchiveSheffield Archives, Archives & Local Studies, Sheffield
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date18 July 1893
Address FromHigh Field, Ben Rhydding, North Yorkshire
Address To
Who ToEdward Carpenter
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the Sheffield Archives, Sheffield Libraries, Archives and Information Services, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Archive Collections. The date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand.
1 Highfield
2 Ben Rhydding
3 nr Leeds
4 Yorkshire
5
6 Dear Ed,
7
8 I think though you are not there I shall come to Millthorpe on Tuesday
9thought you are not there, & see the cottages.
10
11 My plans are all very uncertain, Edward. I would unreadable like to
12talk some matters over with you. But I don’t know if I don’t find
13I can stay at Millthorpe I shall either go to St Leonards for a bit or
14go on the continent, but I don’t want to go quite alone. I’m so
15ghastly sociable nowadays. unreadable
16
17 I must see you sometime, dear. I want to tell you about so many things,
18 Africa, & the sunshine, the beautiful sunshine. In Africa is a man I
19love & who loves me, but I’m not quite sure that marriage would be
20right; & you know Edward the curious thing is that I want to marry
21that man, to be always where he is, see him when I go to bed & when I
22rise in the morning & every day at the table, & all day long & all my
23life long till I’m an old old old woman. Now that’s a funny thing
24because that’s just what I’ve never felt before! I’ve loved
25Ellis, & Karl Pearson, & so many men & women, but I’ve never felt,
26"I want to be with you always." And it puzzles me so that I should
27have that feeling! Please He loves your books very much, I’ve given
28them to him, he’s just been reading them, & writing to me about
29England’s Ideal. He’s not like Bob; he’s such a fiercely strong
30passionate impulsive kind of man, I have to be so gentle & sweet when
31I’m with him to make up for it!!! I think you would love him, but I
32don’t know if it would be right for me to marry him because of
33another woman. I left Africa, because I wanted to feel I was removing
34from him any undue fascination I might be exercising over him; & I
35don’t suppose we shall ever see each other again. But I feel it
36would be so nice to live all my life with him. It’s that feeling
37that I can’t understand.
38
39 Our sweet Bob looked a little better I thought but still seemed to me
40tired & weak. Yes, he would make an ideal husband, but and I hope the
41woman he loves will be worthy of him. I understand now how people want
42to be married & live all their life in one house.
43
44 I hope you are having a good time in London. People are very nice &
45good here especially dear Mrs Walters. It will please her so if you
46send a message to her, do when you write again. She hungers so for
47love, & has so little. She is very patient & brave.
48
49 Good bye, dear old Edward.
50 Olive.
51
52
53
Notation
The book referred to is: Edward Carpenter (1887) England’s Ideal London: Swann Sonnenschein & Co.