[41 Brimmer St., Boston]

T. S.Eliot
EmilyHale
TS
Faber & Faber Ltd
26 April 1932
My dear Lady,

As things have turned out, this mail-day, I have only just time to write to explain why I cannot write to-day. ISelected Essaysbeing proofed;a1 have had a rush to correct the proofs of my ‘Selected Essays’, inHarcourt, Brace & Co.and Selected Essays;a1 order to get them off to Harcourt Brace by to-day’s mail; that has taken all my spare time for a week, and the whole of this morning; andMorley, Frank Vigorindispensable in proofing Selected Essays;a6 I could hardly have done it without Morley’s help. AndManning, Fredericin nursing home;a2 I have to go out to Hampstead in a few minutes this afternoon to visit Fred Manning, who is very ill in a nursing home there. He is said to be improving, but I know that his health has been poor ever since the war; and one has a superstitious feeling about postponing a visit to an old friend who is very ill. So you will get no letter from me till the next mail: I have been reminding myself that as I had two letters last week I am to expect none this week. TheHodgsons, thestay with the Eliots;a1 weekend was rather tiring, asEliots, the T. S.have the Hodgsons for the weekend;d1 we had Ralph Hodgson and Miss Bolliger to stay with us; butBolliger, Aureliagood for VHE;a2 it was very pleasant, and I think Miss B. is very good for V.: aBolliger, Aureliadescribed;a1 sweet little girl, the daughter of a Methodist (or something like that, Swiss-reformed perhaps) minister of Ohio, who is a teacher in a missionary college in Japan; probably better constant company for V. than more mature and more ‘aware’ persons could be.1 AndCulpin, Mary ('Mollie') Johannaevening of Cockney songs with;a2 last night to Molly Culpin’s, where a young man whose name I didn’t catch sang some old Cockney songs extremely well, ‘Villikens [sic] and his Dinah’2 etc.

I wish you had a good part in the play, it is ridiculous to give you a part like that: please let me know the name of the play (you never do in time) so that I can get it and read it.

ton
T.

1.AureliaBolliger, Aurelia Bolliger (1898–1984), born in Pennsylvania, studied at Heidelberg College, Ohio; she taught in Wisconsin before journeying to teach at a mission school in Tokyo, 1922–3, and for the next seven years at the Women’s College of Sendai, where she met and fell in love with Ralph Hodgson. She was to marry Hodgson in 1933.

2.‘Villikins and His Dinah’: a burlesque music-hall version of a traditional folk ballad entitled ‘William and Dinah’ dating from the early nineteenth century.

Bolliger, Aurelia, described, good for VHE, relieves trip to Hindhead, Ralph Hodgson confides in TSE his desire to marry,
see also Hodgsons, the

1.AureliaBolliger, Aurelia Bolliger (1898–1984), born in Pennsylvania, studied at Heidelberg College, Ohio; she taught in Wisconsin before journeying to teach at a mission school in Tokyo, 1922–3, and for the next seven years at the Women’s College of Sendai, where she met and fell in love with Ralph Hodgson. She was to marry Hodgson in 1933.

Culpin, Mary ('Mollie') Johanna, plays piano at the Eliots' party, evening of Cockney songs with,
Eliots, the T. S., receive Aldous Huxley, give tea to Nora Joyce, give dinner-party for Joyces, Fabers and Osbert Sitwell, described by Osbert Sitwell, give dinner for Philippa Whibley, host the Morleys, Joyces and Hutchinsons, take tea with OM, who describes their appearance, invite OM to meet Mrs Joyce, introduce TSE's nieces to Lucia Joyce and Barbara Hutchinson, host the Joyces, host the Thorps to tea, host Dorothy Pound to supper, again to OM's, have the Huxleys to tea, more harmonious for Gordon George's stay, host Maurice and Ahmé to dinner, host Ralph Hodgson, Aurelia Bolliger, Gordon George and Scott Moncrieff, to OM's tea-party for Yeats, host Ralph Hodgson despite his dog's behaviour, have the Hodgsons for the weekend, attend Derby Day with the Hodgsons, host the Faber children to tea, host OM and D'Arcy, host Mark Gertler and wife, at James Stephens's party, have fifteen to tea, Evelyn Underhill and Force Stead to lunch with, spend weekend with VHE's mother, join farewell dinner for the Hodgsons, in 1926, holiday in Eastbourne, where they dine with the Morleys, then visit the Woolfs at Rodmell,
Harcourt, Brace & Co., and Selected Essays, poach Frank Morley, negotiations over New York Murder, refuse illustrated edition of Cats, and Four Quartets, which they print disappointingly, advance TSE money,
Hodgsons, the, stay with the Eliots, accompany the Eliots to Derby Day, the Eliots share farewell dinner with, will be missed,
Manning, Frederic, lunches with TSE, in nursing home, his funeral, his works commended to EH,

5.FredericManning, Frederic Manning (1882–1935), Australian writer: see Biographical Register.

Morley, Frank Vigor, TSE on sharing an office with, Criterion monthly meeting regular, returns from New York, indispensable in proofing Selected Essays, Criterion lunch in company with, joins farewell lunch for Hodgson, offers TSE post-separation refuge, acts for TSE during separation, spirits TSE away to Surrey, on TSE at Pike's Farm, as châtelain, acting as TSE's courier, on TSE's relationship to children, music-hall evening with, suggests tour of Scotland, which he plans out, suggests trip to Paris, thanks Joyce for hospitality, on TSE's 1933 tour of Scotland, negotiating for Ulysses, his absence means more work, treasured and missed, gets on famously with Ada, mercifully returned to F&F, produces birthday-cake, peacekeeper between Rowse and Smyth, in on Sherlock Holmes prank, encourages TSE to go to Finland, on TSE's 1935 tour of Scotland, and TSE drink GCF's whisky, takes TSE to Wimbledon, monopolises typewriter for joint story, as tennis-player, overawes GCF, TSE and EH's elected emergency go-between, good with thrusting young authors, backs publication of Nightwood, helps deal with Joyce, naturally projects strength, his French, escapes Criterion gathering to catch last train home, unusually subdued among the French, submits his Johnson Society paper, depends on TSE, on TSE's 1937 tour of Scotland, which Morley describes, two nights' sleep in a caravan with, potential reader for Family Reunion, his father dies, Spender discussed with, sends TSE corrected Anabasis, heads for New York and Baltimore, his energy, returns from America, visiting dying mother, shoulders burden of EP, insufficiently honours EP, Boutwood Lectures submitted to, accepts Harcourt Brace position, what his leaving F&F will mean, taken to tea with Woolfs, remembers EH taking priority, first wartime letter from, which reports on TSE's family, sounds depressed in America, sounds less depressed to GCF, among TSE's closest friends, his conversation missed, on Christian Society's American reception, suspected of indiscretion, EH explains 'Defence of the Islands' to, indifferent to Cats, entrusted with emergency Dry Salvages, America's effect on, gives Henry MS of 'Yeats', suggests 'Night Music' over 'Kensington Quartets', Ada too ill to see, his use of 'poised', puts TSE up in New York, on TSE's 1947 New York stay, presently unemployed, but inherits Graham Greene's job,
see also Morleys, the

4.FrankMorley, Frank Vigor Vigor Morley (1899–1980), American publisher and author; a founding editor of F&F, 1929–39: see Biographical Register.

Selected Essays, being proofed, dedicated to Harriet Weaver, puts TSE off writing, its contents, TSE hopeful of royalties from,