BR TO CONSTANCE MALLESON, [17 AUG. 1919]
BRACERS 19531. ALS. McMaster
Edited by S. Turcon. Reviewed by K. Blackwell

<West Lulworth>
<letterhead>
70, Overstrand Mansions,
Prince of Wales Road,
Battersea, S.W.1^, 2
Sunday (haste for post)3

My Darling Love

Two letters from you yesterday4 were a joy to get — Don’t give way to the producer5 about Helen6 — tell him you’ll appeal to Murray7 direct, if he is obstreperous — Murray would be very nice to you in that case, much more so than if I were intermediary. What a shocking business about Eve!8 You must try to get on formal terms that are just possible — Perhaps she has forgotten what she did.

Anglo-Persian agreement9 abominable. Don’t think I have vote for Battersea.10 Will tell C.A.11

Post going — All my love, my blessed Angel — I long for Saturday — A thousand kisses and all my heart.

B

• 1

  [document] Document 200518.

• 2

  [envelope] The Lady Constance Malleson | 6 Mecklenburgh Square | London W.C.1. Pmk: WEST LULWORTH | 17 AU | 19

• 3

  [date] The date is taken from the envelope’s postmark.

• 4

  Two letters from you yesterday This is puzzling. These letters are not extant — none of her letters from this time period have survived. However, what is extant is a telegram from her (BRACERS 107486) stamped West Lulworth, 16 August 1919, in which she writes: “Missed only post yesterday and today, so distressed.”

• 5

  the producerThe Trojan Women was produced by both Sir Lewis Thomas Casson (1875–1969) and Bruce Winston (1879–1946). Casson handled the staging and Winston the set design. Although both men were actors, Winston pursued acting in films, while Casson became a theatre director. Casson was married to actress Sybil Thorndike (1882–1976).

• 6

  Helen Helen of Troy, the character that Colette was portraying in The Trojan Women.

• 7

  Murray Gilbert Murray (1866–1957). For information about him, see BRACERS 19121, n.4.

• 8

  business about Eve Evelyn Walsh Hall played Hecuba in The Trojan Women but only at the Oxford performance; there was some trouble caused by her at rehearsal. For information about her, see BRACERS 19394, n.8.

• 9

  Anglo-Persian agreement The agreement had been signed on 9 August but the text was not released until 16 August 1919, when it was published in The Times (p. 11). Although Persia’s independence was nominally recognized, the country was to be guided by British experts and financed by a British loan.

• 10

  vote for Battersea Presumably in the Borough Council elections scheduled for 1 November 1919. BR and Clifford Allen shared a flat in Battersea.

• 11

  C.A. (Reginald) Clifford Allen (1889–1939). For information on him, see BRACERS 19046, n.7.