BR TO CONSTANCE MALLESON, 13 OCT. 1946
BRACERS 19834. ALS. McMaster. SLBR 2: #475
Edited by S. Turcon and N. Griffin. Reviewed by K. Blackwell

Trinity College
Cambridge.1
Oct. 13, 1946

My dearest Colette.

I was very glad to get your letter of Oct. 52 and to have your news. I am glad you are not going to live in Finland, where you would be liable to be at any moment in the grip of the Russians. I can quite understand the Finns’ refusal to feel3 — I don’t see what else they can do at present.

As for me: I am not so well placed as I expected as regards meeting you, because I shall not be here after Christmas, but with Peter4 in a tiny flat in London.5 This is a change of plans6 which became unavoidable. If you were in England I could see a certain amount of you, but should be limited to what would not cause too much domestic friction. My affairs have been very complicated for some time and there are dangerous possibilities that I have to avoid. If I had still been here all would have been simple. When I see you I will explain more fully. When we met,7 I expected things to turn out differently. I am very very sorry. But if you do come I will see as much of you as I possibly can.

The future has never looked so black as now — another big war, much worse than the last, seems nearly certain. But I go on writing a big book8 — I suppose from habit. If I had more sense I should take to drink.

Goodbye my Dear. Read Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach”.a^,9

B.

• 1

  [document] Document 200834.

• 2

  your letter of Oct. 5 It was written from Lövänget, Sweden where she rented a cottage. The letter is extant only in the “Letters to Bertrand Russell from Constance Malleson, 1916–1969” (BRACERS 113620).

• 3

  understand the Finns’ refusal to feel In an earlier letter of 6 July Colette had written: “The Finns are of course in a most difficult and painful situation; and their refusal to feel does sometimes drive one nearly mad, although one quite sees they’ve little alternative” (“Letters to Bertrand Russell from Constance Malleson, 1916–1969”, BRACERS 113259).

• 4

  Peter Patricia (“Peter”) Russell, née Spence (1910–2004). She and BR were married from 1936 until 1952.

• 5

  a tiny flat in London In Dorset House, Gloucester Place.

• 6

  change of plans The original plan was for Peter to live in Wales when BR was at Trinity College during term-time. The family would be together during Conrad’s school holidays.

• 7

  When we met Earlier that year in February when Colette was in London.

• 8

  writing a big book  Human Knowledge: Its Scope and Limits (B&R A83).

• 9

  Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach” Matthew Arnold (1822–1888). “Dover Beach” (published 1867) is one of his most famous poems. In it Arnold finds the world dark and difficult — with Darwinism posing a challenge to religion — thus lovers must be true to one another.

Textual Notes

• a

  “Dover Beach” Quotation marks supplied editorially.