BRACERS Record Detail for 17299
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"Wed. evg."
"I wish my pocket were large enough to bring you to the Aristotelian—visitors are admitted but it would be madness for you to come. They are a queer seedy crew. No good philosophers live in London."
BR TO OTTOLINE MORRELL, 11 OCT. 1911
BRACERS 17299. ALS. Morrell papers #214, Texas
Proofread by K. Blackwell et al.
<letterhead>
Trinity College,
Cambridge.1, 2
Wed. evg. Oct. 11. ’11
My Dearest Dearest
The life of Tolstoy has come — thank you very much. I shall read it at once. — After writing to you I went a short walk — it is extraordinarily beautiful here now, with the autumn colours and the soft misty sunshine. Then I called on the Mirrlees’s, and met Jane for the first time since I have known of her perfidy. I couldn’t show anything, but she seemed to have a bad conscience. She asked me to come to see her, but I shan’t think of doing so. North is staying at the Mirrlees’s — he was to have left by this time but has been kept there by a bad cold.
They are a nice family — a pleasant atmosphere, all very fond of each other, and pleasantly chaffing. Mr and Mrs M say they are coming to my lectures. He professes to have stumped me last year by the question how it is that half a sheep is not sheep, but mutton. Another man turned up saying he was coming, another normal mathematician. Hardy says he has told three others to come, two Scotch dwarfs and a Hindu. I think my class will afford material for the universal races congress. Hardy says he gave different accounts of me to different men: the man I have already seen was told I was very profound, the two dwarfs that I was full of jokes. But I gather they won’t know it’s a joke unless I say “this is an example of my bright humour”.
The beginning of the year is interesting and amusing — those who hang on I shall get to know quite well — I am relieved to find Neville laughs at my jokes just as much as he did before he got his fellowship.
I have looked through Crashaw’s poems and find them rather dull. Some are in Latin, some are on subjects interesting only to Royalty — three are on the gunpowder plot — some are religious — he turned Catholic, but like most men of that time who were not Puritans, he doesn’t seem at all deeply religious. However I will give you the book — perhaps you will find better things.
If it is as fine when you get home as it was today, it would be nice to go into the country. I suppose if you get home on the 20th I could see you on the 21st, which is the day I go to Camberly. If we went somewhere on the way to there it might be a good plan? But it is more than likely to be very cold. I shall be glad to know what you think and how much free time you expect to have; and about the Monday following. If I can, I shall put my lectures Wed. Th. Friday. But that may be impossible. It is a joy to be planning about meeting — thinking of the details makes it seem real. I didn’t mean seriously that I felt we should never meet again, only things one desires very much always seem impossible.
The last letter I had from you has been such a joy to me, Darling. Your letters always are, but this one especially. I wish my pocket were large enough to bring you to the Aristn. — visitors are admitted but it would be madness for you to come. They are a queer seedy crew. No good philosophers live in London.
Goodnight my Darling. I don’t know if this will reach you in Lausanne but I will risk it. All my love goes out to you my Beloved. I bless you for all you are and all you give.
Your
B
