BR TO CONSTANCE MALLESON, 4 NOV. 1925
BRACERS 19746. ALS. McMaster
Edited by S. Turcon. Reviewed by K. Blackwell

<letterhead>
31 Sydney Street
London, S.W.3.1^, 2
November 4, 1925

My dear Colette

Thank you for your letter. I will bring John3 to tea with the greatest joy on Thursday 19th. He is a rampageous fellow, and will demand attention all the time, probably. He will be four years old on the 16th. So far as I can judge, he is in character an exact replica of me. That is a portion of the pleasure one gets from children: I feel I understand him better than I have ever understood any one else. His sister Kate4 is equally charming, and (I think) cleverer, but John got two years’ start in my affections.

“Possessor” is quite correct! Soon I shall be the only person living who doesn’t know how to use a typewriter.5

What part of Somerset6 do you live in? I have walked over a great deal of it — the part I like best is the Quantock Hills.

I hear from Miles7 great praise of your writing but I have seen none of it.

Thank you for letting me come to see you.

Bertie.

• 1

  [document] Document 200754.

• 2

  [envelope] Miss Colette O’Neil | The Little Theatre | Kingston Square | Hull. Pmk: CHELSEA S.W.3 | 3.30 PM | 4 NOV | 1925

• 3

  John John Conrad Russell, born 16 November 1921, to BR and his wife Dora.

• 4

  Kate Katharine Jane Russell, born 29 December 1923, to BR and his wife Dora. Her surname became Tait upon her marriage.

• 5

  a typewriter Colette had written on 3 November 1925 (BRACERS 113230) that she now owned a typewriter, but she still wasn’t sure how to spell “possessor”.

• 6

  part of Somerset Colette was living in Blagdon.

• 7

  Miles  Miles Malleson (1888–1969), Colette’s former husband. For information on him, see BRACERS 19046, n.4.