BR TO CONSTANCE MALLESON, 27 MAR. 1917
BRACERS 19135. ALS. McMaster
Edited by S. Turcon. Reviewed by K. Blackwell

<London?>
27 March 19171

My Beloved, My Dearest Joy, your wonderful letter yesterday2 was a great deep happiness to me.

I cannot express the thousandth part of what is in my heart. Our time3 was so marvellous — All through Sunday it grew and grew, and at night it seemed to pass beyond the bounds of human things. My dear one, I wish you knew the feelings that come to me when your arms are round me and I can get close to you — I feel no longer all alone in the world, but your love brings warmth into all the recesses of my being. You used to speak of a wall of separation between us — that no longer exists in my feeling — I want to share everything, everything, with you, I should like you to know absolutely everything about me, I should like to know all your thoughts and have you know all mine.  I feel you comrade and lover in one—equally perfect in both.

My dearest Darling, I will not let the life be pressed out of you. The winter is ending,4 we shall have sunshine and the song of birds and wild flowers — primroses, bluebells, and then the scent of the may. We will keep joy alive in us, whatever may happen outwardly.  I have hardly begun yet to give you the love I have it in me to give — there are vast oceans of love only waiting opportunity to pour themselves out on you.

O my heart’s light, it was happy there — your love is wonderful and precious and beautiful beyond words — you are strong and brave and free and filled with passion and love — the very substance of all my dreams come to life — I love you with all the strength that is in me.

B.

I find I must dine with Mrs Eliot5 either Sat. or Sunday, to make up for last Sat.  If I make it Sat., I could (if you are free) go away Sunday morning and stay away the night.  If you are not free Sunday evening, I will see Mrs E then, and keep Sat. dinner for you, as we planned.

I go to Garsington6 2:30 from Padd. today, and return to tea tomorrow.

• 1

  [document] Document 200109.

• 2

  your wonderful letter yesterday Her letter, the surviving text presumably highly edited, of 26 March 1917 (BRACERS 113001).

• 3

  Our time In the Autobiography “time” is replaced by “day in the country”, following the text of 210.007052–F6, p. 554. This presumably refers to the Sunday they spent at Streatley.

• 4

  The winter is ending The winter had been long, with spring late in arriving. The Times reported that there had only been seven hours of bright sunshine in January and February. March continued along the same lines and the poor weather continued into April, with the gloomy conditions requiring artificial light at 11 am on 1 April (“Wintry April”, The Times, 2 April 1917, p. 5; “The Artic Spring”, 13 April 1917, p. 3).

• 5

  Mrs Eliot Vivienne Eliot (1888–1947), wife of the poet T.S. Eliot. For further information on her, see BRACERS 19062, n.5.

• 6

  Garsington Garsington Manor, near Oxford, the county home of Lady Ottoline and Philip Morrell.