BR TO CONSTANCE MALLESON, [22 JAN. 1917]
BRACERS 19107. ALS. McMaster
Edited by S. Turcon. Reviewed by K. Blackwell

<London>
Monday mg.1 ^, 2

My Darling Loved One —

Your Sat. morning letter3 has just come. I wish I could have seen you Friday night — but I was busy till 11, and not home till 11.30. — I am sorry you feel as you do about N.C.F.4 meetings — that is all my fault.

Dearest Darling, come here at 4 — I want you — let us let the shopping be till we have less to say — last time broke off in the middle — ever since I have been filled with longing and love for you. I have nothing to do till 10.30 tomorrow morning — after I have finished this morning’s business. So stay dinner and as long as you can.

My dearest Heart — I do do love you — but how can love blossom among explosions and falling Zepps5 and all the surroundings of our love? It has to grow jagged and painful before it can live in such a world — I long for it to be otherwise — but soft things die in this horror, and our love has to have pain for its life-blood — Goodbye my dear one, my Soul, my Life.

B

• 1

  [document] Document 200079. Part of this original letter, beginning on the top of the second page, forms the first paragraph of literary letter no. 10 (BRACERS 93471, document 210.007052–F6, p. 551) with the date of 28 December 1916.

• 2

  [date] Colette wrote “probably Mon. 22 Jan. 1916” on the letter. This has been corrected in pencil to 1917 by the archivist.

• 3

  Your Sat. morning letter Not extant.

• 4

  N.C.F. No-Conscription Fellowship. Russell was the acting chairman thus the number of meetings he had to attend had increased.

• 5

  Zepps A nickname for the Zeppelins, large rigid airships, named after their German inventor, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. London was first bombed using a Zeppelin in May 1915.