BR TO OTTOLINE MORRELL, 2 OCT. 1911
BRACERS 17287. ALS. Morrell papers #205, Texas
Proofread by K. Blackwell et al.

<letterhead>
Trinity College,
Cambridge.1^, 2
Monday mg. Oct. 2. 1911

My Darling

Your letter of Friday reached me by first post this morning. — I had not expected a letter till later so I was overjoyed. But I see letters to and from Vienna take longer than I should have expected; also I gather you dislike Vienna and have probably gone to Meran sooner than today, so probably Prisons and two or three letters will reach Vienna after you have gone. I am glad you have got the letter about Plato, etc., and very glad you think you could bring yourself to ask questions. Why should you find me more formidable than Miss Stawell? I really don’t think I am, and I should not be at all severe. I should love it.

I am very sorry you are still tired. Vienna must be awfully noisy — except for carpet-beating, Marienbad was wonderfully quiet. I should suppose the music in Vienna would be good, and probably the theatres — but as you know so little German, they would not be much good to you. I don’t know whether it is a great place for pictures. I quite agree about Giorgione in spite of my indifference to most pictures.a

Last night I sat with McTaggart in Hall, and found that we agree entirely about Broad, and he tells me Whitehead also takes exactly the same view. Moore came to my rooms for a talk afterwards, and was very genial and pleasant, which he isn’t always. He has finished his shilling shocker, but says it is not so interesting as Principia Ethica. Now he is trying to learn a little Psychology, as he has to begin lecturing on it in 10 days. Today Jourdain comes to tea and I dine at the Lodge to meet Fellowship candidates — a silly plan of the Master’s.

As to the Republic applying to a small State, I notice Aristotle says no State could have as many as 100,000 citizens — this is the time of Alexander! It shows how little he realized what was happening in the world about him.

I have not told any stories about Oliver Mansfield. I took some of the facts about him from a friend of mine named W. Done Bushell, always called Well-done Bushell. He was a mathematician in my year — he and I were about equally good — he went to India, broke down, and when I last saw him was clerk to the Norfolk Education Comee. A virtuous simple soul, rather stupid, but nice. I think your suggestions for Oliver Mansfield are excellent. By the time he is launched on the world I shall know every detail of his history; he will be as good as Bunbury.

Aristotle is very anxious to explain that the Golden Mean does not imply that you must do a little of everything — for instance, adultery. This is how it comes in.

Your letters are never dull, Dearest — they are always characteristic and full of you, whatever you write. I can always hear you saying the things.

I am started on Bergson but I shan’t get much time for him. Tonight Exam Papers will begin; tomorrow I have P.S.F. Comee. in London; 5th and 6th I am with the Whiteheads. After that it will be nearly time for my lectures.

It is odd that no letters from me had reached you by Friday evening, but I suppose you will have got two on Saturday, perhaps more. Goodbye my Darling. Do take care of yourself and try to get really rested. I do long for you to be better. I wish I were there to brush your hair and stroke your forehead — Goodbye my Heart. All my love goes to you.

Yr
B.

• 1

  [document] Document 000205. Proofread against a colour scan of the original.

• 2

  [envelope] A circled “205”. The Lady Ottoline Morrell | Hotel Bristol | Meran | Tyrol | Austria. Pmk: Cambridge | 1245 PM | Oc 2 | 11 | 4

Textual Notes

• a

  I quite … pictures. inserted