BR TO CONSTANCE MALLESON, 22 AUG. 1917
BRACERS 19196. ALS. McMaster
Edited by S. Turcon. Reviewed by K. Blackwell

<London>
Wed. aftn. 22 Aug. ’171^, 2

My Darling

Your letter of yesterday came this morning. — I was overjoyed to get it — it is the bright moment of my day when your letter comes. I am sorry Miles3 is unwell — I do hope it is nothing serious. — It is good that you look over the lake and the hills — it is heavenly country, isn’t it? — Today CEM4 and I gave a lunch to the Russian Delegates5 and Smillie6 — we had a useful and fruitful conversation. They had come from Italy and France — said Italy is revolutionary and anti-war in sentiment, but not organized enough for revolution to occur — France dying, weary of the war, but not prepared to agitate much for an inconclusive peace. They say Austria is in even worse plight than France. Germans whom they saw at Stockholm gave them an impression that the hunger in Germany is terrible, and they (the Russians) thought this would bring the war to an end in the spring. They say it is England alone that keeps the war going. They say Russia can’t make a separate peace, because it needs supplies — for instance, if it did, it would not get a single ton of steel. Germany could provide such things, but would demand that Russia should actually fight on the side of Germany. So there is nothing to be done except work for a general peace.

Till the end of this month I am spending most of my time on philosophy — I go back to full N.C.F.7 work when Sept. begins.

CEM is in a good mood, and making the office work admirably. So all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds —

Tonight I meet the Russians again at a Herald dinner.8

Nine days more!  I count off the days — they seem so long — My dear one I do long for you — I want to feel your arms about me — I want the sense of being really alive which I only have when I am with you —  Goodnight my dearest Darling, my loved one, my Joy, my Heart —

B.

• 1

  [document] Document 200176.

• 2

  [envelope] The Lady Constance Malleson | Hawse End | Keswick. Pmk: LONDON. W.C. | 6.15 PM | 22 AUG 17

• 3

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

• 4

  CEM Catherine Marshall (1880–1961). For information on her, see BRACERS 19043, n.5.

• 5

  Russian Delegates To the Labour Party Conference.

• 6

  Smillie Robert Smillie (1857–1940), trade unionist and politician. Since 1912 he had been President of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain, and was instrumental in getting many miners to switch their support from the Liberal Party to the Labour Party. In 1915 he became the president of the National Council Against Conscription. The following year Smillie delivered BR’s speech on “Political Ideals” in Glasgow because BR was prevented by the Government from travelling to any coastal area. Smillie declined the position of food controller in Lloyd George’s cabinet.

• 7

  N.C.F. No-Conscription Fellowship.

• 8

  Herald dinnerThe Daily Herald, founded in 1910, was a supporter of the labour movement. During World War I, it was only able to publish weekly. BR describes the dinner in his 23 August letter (BRACERS 19197).