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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box1/Fold3/1896/37
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date18 December 1896
Address FromThe Homestead, Kimberley, Northern Cape
Address To
Who ToFrances ('Fan') Schreiner nee Reitz
Other VersionsRive 1987: 298
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections.
1 The Homestead
2 Dec 18 / 96
3
4 Dear Fan
5
6 We shall arrive in town on Saturday night, the 2nd & shall sail on
7Saturday the Wednesday the 6th. Will in a note he dropped me the other
8day said you would be glad to see us for the three days; of course I
9should like very much to come as it be the only way I can see anything
10of you & the children. But I want you to tell me quite truthfully
11whether it will not be awkward for you & Will with Rhodes perhaps in
12town & Miss Rhodes &c often in the house to have it. I would much
13rather know before hand than find out after I got that poor old Will
14had invited us from a sense of duty!! On the other hand if I take
15rooms at the hotel Will & you might feel I had slighted your
16invitation. Please reply to me, dear, quite frankly. I have not the
17slightest objection to meeting Mr Rhodes, ^I should be glad to.^ (nor ^to^
18discussing public matters with him!! If he starts the question;
19^otherwise^ I should not feel I had a right to do it!)
20
21 Cron’s married sister & mother are at Muizenberg where his sister has
22taken Dr Beck’s house for some months, & she wants us very much to
23come & stay with them, but I can only spend the day I can’t sleep
24there on account of the asthma. We shall have to go out ^there^ on
25Sunday as it is the dear old mother’s birthday, & Monday & Tuesday I
26shall be busy shopping &c.
27
28^If you think it would be better will you please try & get me a bed
29room, large & airy in some boarding house or hotel in Cape Town. If I
30could get a bed room without board I should like that best as I shall
31be out all the time, but if you don’t know of one just take us a large
32bedroom at one of the Hotels in town the Grand or the Royal in Plein
33Street. It would be would be such a great favour to me dear sister if
34you would do this for me. Please forgive my troubling you so. ^
35
36 Love to all
37 Olive
38
39
40
41
Notation
Rive's (1987) version omits part of this letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect.