BR TO CONSTANCE MALLESON, 13 JULY 1917
BRACERS 19184. ALS. McMaster
Edited by S. Turcon. Reviewed by K. Blackwell

<London>
Friday aftn.
13 July 19171^, 2

My Beloved

The wonderful happiness of our last time together clings to me like the memory of music.  It was divine. —

It seems the London Conference of the Leeds people3 is to be held on the day on which we were going to start for our holiday. If I have to go, it means a loss of two days, because it is impossible to do the journey on a Sunday.4 That is a fearful nuisance. Miles5 has been trying to get me made a delegate — I want to be elected to the Council,6 but I am not keen on being at the Conference unless it is necessary in order to be elected to the Council. I will consult Meynell.7 I don’t want that one precious fortnight to be broken into.

Sassoon8 came to see me last night — He posted the decisive letter a week ago but they seem to have been puzzled and they merely telegraphed to him to report himself. He went today.  He is much less nervy than before he took the plunge.

How heavenly it will be in the country. I long to be there. My heart, I do want to be away with you free from cares, able to give myself up to love and the joy of you. My dearest Darling, the thought of you is an infinite happiness.

B

• 1

  [document] Document 200162.

• 2

  [envelope] The Lady Constance Malleson | 6 Mecklenburgh Square | W.C. 1. Pmk: LONDON W.C | 6. 15 PM | 13 JUL 17B

• 3

  London Conference of the Leeds people BR and Colette left on their vacation on Sunday 29 July 1917 and thus could not have attended a conference held on Sunday. They did however attend a meeting organized by the London and Home Counties District to found a Workers’ and Soldiers’ Council, inspired by events in Russia. The meeting was held in the Brotherhood Church, Southgate Road, Hackney, on Saturday 28 July and was broken up by an angry mob before the council could be created. BR describes this event in his Auto. (2: 31, 32). On 11 September 1917 BR wrote to Colette that Sylvia Pankhurst had defeated him in the postponed election for a place on the Council (BRACERS 19210).

• 4

  impossible to do the journey on a Sunday This was not the case as they left on their vacation on a Sunday.

• 5

  Miles Miles Malleson, Colette’s husband. For information on him, see BRACERS 19046, n.4.

• 6

  Council Workers’ and Soldiers’ Council. See annotation above.

• 7

  Meynell Francis Meynell (1891–1975), journalist, publisher, and typographical designer. An admirer of the Russian Revolution, he helped to found the Anglo-Russian Democratic Alliance.

• 8

  Sassoon Siegfried Sassoon (1886–1967), poet. Sassoon was serving in the military in 1917; BR was involved in planning a campaign to draw attention to Sassoon’s anti-war protest. For further information on Sassoon, see BRACERS 19182, n.12.