BRACERS Record Detail for 17240
To access the original letter, email the Russell Archives.
"Sat. mg. My Darling The dinner last night was mildly agreeable—I sat between Hawtrey and Charles Trevy—Dickinson was there, and Bob, and Charles Buxton and various others."
BR TO OTTOLINE MORRELL, [JULY 1911]
BRACERS 17240. ALS. Morrell papers #160, Texas
Proofread by K. Blackwell et al.
My Darling
The dinner last night was mildly agreeable. I sat between Hawtrey and Charles Trevy — Dickinson was there, and Bob, and Charles Buxton and various others. The first thing said to me was by Hildon, who told me he had just met some people who had a grudge against me — the people who want Ipsden and are coming in August. What a funny chance. Hawtrey said he went a motor journey with Ll. George and Winston, and Winston talked military talk all the way, and expressed a longing for military glory. Hawtrey commented on this when he was gone and Lloyd George said “oh he’s not really a Liberal you know”. After this Hawtrey perpetrated a pun and then had a long deep sleep. Charles Trevy delivered several lectures but was uninteresting. I enjoyed seeing Dickinson and Bob.
Hawtrey’s devotion to his chief is beautiful. He has a whole-hearted admiration and love and won’t hear a word of any sort of criticism. His critical faculty seems quite in abeyance in that quarter.
My brother’s address is 57 Gordon Square W.C.
A letter posted tomorrow will reach me at Cambridge so it is only Monday you will be writing to Gordon Square.
As I approach Camb. my mind gets full of odds and ends — proofs, lectures, people to see, etc. That state of mind is disastrous to writing — if I had to live in it altogether I should get no good writing done. But as part of one’s life it is quite wholesome — the things are useful in themselves and give time for sub-conscious thinking, which can’t be hurried. Also contact with people is a help in making one know how to put things so as to make them be understood — and people who don’t already agree with what one thinks important are a stimulus to expression.
These reflections are to console me for having to go away. But I feel less absent from you this time than ever before. Every moment I feel your presence in spirit and I can almost hear your answer to all my thoughts.
I met Philip on my way to the station — I had no free hand to greet him with but did my best otherwise. I nearly tumbled off taking off my hat to you as I disappeared round the corner.
Dearest I hope you are less tired today and that you will get rested. I think it is much best you should begin the Republic — it is so long that we should never get through it together. I will read it up too, and we can go on together wherever we have got to when we are together, and we can talk over what we have read separately.
Goodbye Darling — I am longing to be back — everything else seems so unimportant in comparison. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have got my work combined with you. That depends upon our being able to see so much of each other — otherwise when we are together one can only feel and not think. Now I hear the perfect union of feeling and thought which I have never known before. Goodbye my Dearest Love.
Your
B.
