[No surviving envelope]
Your dear letter of the 9th arrived on Friday the 17th – eight days, so you see your Air Mail did catch the Europa, and it was well worth the extra six cents to me, to get it so soon – though when you can write in time to catch the fast mail without extra postage, my conscience will be happier. I have no Sunday paper, so do not know what boats sail tomorrow; and after some doubt, I have decided to post this tonight instead of waiting to see the paper in the morning. I shall write again on Tuesday night, because I do not know whether I shall have a chance to write again whiletravels, trips and plansTSE's 1936 visit to Ireland;c1TSE's itinerary;a1 I am in Dublin – I arrive Thursday morning, and I get back either Sunday morning or Monday morning according to whether they press me to stay – butGate Theatre, Dublin;a3 the Irish are so sociable that I expect to be pressed to stay over, andMorrell, Lady Ottolineissues TSE with Irish introductions;f8 perhaps shall be able to present some of my introductions from Otto to her friends there, asMurder in the Cathedral1936 Gate Theatre touring production;e5TSE's long-held wish;a1 wellPakenham, Edward, 6th Earl of Longfordand TSE's 1936 Dublin visit;a2 as renew contact with Lord Longford and his Gate Theatre people – I should rather like to have ‘Murder in the Cathedral’ produced with an Irish accent. But it is just possible that I shall send you a cable from Dublin!
MySheffield, Ada Eliot (TSE's sister)EH urged to be familial with;e6 enquiries to Ada, dear Love, were supposed to be answered after she had inspected what you were wearing, supposing you came to see her, or met her anywhere, on a very cold day. Still, I am glad that she wrote, and I hope that you have had a second meeting by now – either with or without Sheff – he is so sympathetic that there is no need to exclude him – except that I should like you to have at least one talk with Ada alone soon, as two people can say things (especially if of the same sex) that three people can’t. RememberSheffield, Ada Eliot (TSE's sister)TSE's favourite sibling;e9 that although she is shy and reserved, she is not cold; and that I am much fonder of her than of any member of my family, and I am sure she is fonder of me. MarianEliot, Marion Cushing (TSE's sister)next to Ada in TSE's affections;c7 is next in my affection, but a long way off in intimacy. And even if you get your adoring Mary and Elizabeth to abet you, you are NOT going to get me into woolen underwear. As I said, nothing but scratch scratch scratch the winter long, and even after you take them off, it itches itches itches until one falls asleep.
IMoore, MarianneTSE's wish that EH meet;a3 didn’tMoore, MarianneSelected Poems;a9 bother you with Marianne Moore’s book,1 which came out while you were in Europe – as I seemed to be offering more books than you could take – but I should be Pleased to inscribe a copy for you (inasmuch as it contains my preface) IF you want it. Incidentally, I should like you to meet her some time (she lives in Brooklyn with a mother to whom she is devoted) because she is very intelligent and very nice and very humble. The Morleys will be seeing her. ThatMorleys, theleave for New York;f7 wasKennerleys, theat the Morleys' farewell dinner;a1 why I could not write on Friday evening, because of the farewell dinner with the Morleys – the two Kennerleys, his protegés, youKennerley, Jean;a1 rememberHutton, Barbara;a1 Jean Kennerley is a friend of the celebrated Barbara Hutton!2 she is much nicer than that would lead you to believe, however. That was a late evening; andTandys, theTSE's Hampton weekends with;a1 Saturday afternoon I had promised, some time ago, toTandy, Alisonher birthday-party;a3 go out to the Tandys’ in Hampton to Alison’s birthday party (invitation enclosed, but the party had been postponed twice). That’s an hour out and an hour back, and the party was over about half past six, so I stayed to supper. I took some bombs – that is to say indoor fireworks which shoot out paper streamers, paper caps, and toys – they proved very useful to stop the gap after one of the children’s games had proved a failure – as Richard suddenly burst into tears and said he hated this game – whereupon two of the visiting children were emboldened to say that they hated this game – which consisted of making noises like cows, cats, etc, and having someone blindfold guess who it was – but of course, there were the usual difficulties of the children wanting each others’ caps and toys. After tea the moving picture set came in useful, with Micky Mouse etc. TheyTandy, Geoffreyhis film of TSE;a7 have a film which Tandy took of me, last summer – the first I have ever seen of myself – not so repulsive in gesture and movement as I should have expected – but the closeups are not complimentary to one’s complexion! However, I noticed that other people suffered in the same way from the lens. And one’s skin looks a very queer colour. I also see that there is a film face which has different standards of beauty from the ordinary face – he had a film of their friend Diane Reeve (that girl in the chorus who accosted us in the precincts of Canterbury, and who went to teach in Australia) she would be considered quite comely, but the camera said otherwise.
NowSt. Stephen's Church, Gloucester Roadvestry goings-on;a2 theCheetham, Revd Eric;b9 Vicar is back, and I had a long talk with him after church and before breakfast this morning: it appears that there have been more thefts in the church. A letter which he wrote me from Wales disappeared (containing some cheques) although a letter from you which arrived on the same day (the 4th) reached me. All very painful. Whether we should get the police in or not.
ItSmith, Theodora ('Dodo') Eliot (TSE's niece)her way of addressing relations;b4 is queer your meeting ‘Dodo’ in that way. Your remarks about ‘aunt’ and ‘niece’ made me smile a bit – because she addresses me now as ‘Tom’. That’s a trick of the younger generation – though she is not so young as you think – she is thirty-one – which Henry and Theresa tolerated; and if she addresses them familiarly she doesn’t see why she shouldn’t do the same by me. So you wouldn’t get any ‘aunts’ out of her.
IHale, Emilyas teacher;w1possibly at Smith;b9 thinkSmith CollegeEH considers matronship at;a4 that there is a good deal to be said for a matronship at Smith instead of a girls’ school in Richmond – it depends on how the matrons are treated socially by the teachers there. Have you any further information about that (you said something some time ago on the subject)? IF you can be a member of the local society, well and good: and at Smith it does include both sexes, and there are some intelligent and interesting people there. ThePatches, the;a1 Patches are nice, andKoffkas, the;a1 the Kaffkas [sc. Koffkas] are interesting people – KaffkaKoffka, Kurt;a1 is a man of international reputation as a psychologist.3 I thought it a very agreeable place, and in pretty surroundings. ISheffield, Ada Eliot (TSE's sister)as sounding-board for EH's career;e8 wish you would discuss it with Ada.
IHale, Edwardcommemorated by his church;a5 am glad to hear of the service of commemoration for your father’s church; and I hope that he was remembered on that occasion by all who should do so.
EnglandEnglandEnglish traditions;c4the death of George V;a7 is absorbedGeorge Vnear death;a1 at the moment in the anxiety about the King.4 Especially today, when prayers have been offered in all churches and synagogues for him. The feeling that when he dies, we shall experience at the very least a moment of crisis, is a great tribute to him personally. Whether, as a man, he deserves such regard or not, is irrelevant, though I feel that there must be something to him even to have become a myth – but it is more than a myth, as his broadcast addresses have always had such immense success. At all events, it is a moment of great strain.
IKipling, Rudyard;a2 must stop now, to catch the post, without talking about Kipling, as I meant to. But I will write again on Tuesday evening. My dear, be sure that I also can only really rest and relax when I am with you: and I need three states – that when I am going somewhere and doing something in your company, that when we are talking to each other, and that when we are sitting in silence with our arms round each other.
1.Marianne Moore, Selected Poems, with introduction by TSE (New York, 1935).
2.BarbaraHutton, Barbara Hutton (1912–79), rich socialite and philanthropist; heir to a goodly portion of the Woolworth fortune. She was to be married seven times (one of those – the third – was to the actor Cary Grant).
3.KurtKoffka, Kurt Koffka (1886–1941), German-born psychologist; from 1927 a professor at Smith College; works include The Growth of the Mind: An Introduction to Child Psychology (1924) and The Principles of Gestalt Psychology (1935). His wife was Elisabeth Ahlgrimm.
4.King George V (b. 1865), who had reigned since May 1910, and whose health had been in decline for some months, was to die at Sandringham on 20 Jan. 1936.
4.RevdCheetham, Revd Eric Eric Cheetham (1892–1957): vicar of St Stephen’s Church, Gloucester Road, London, 1929–56 – ‘a fine ecclesiastical showman’, as E. W. F. Tomlin dubbed him. TSE’s landlord and friend at presbytery-houses in S. Kensington, 1934–9. See Letters 7, 34–8.
1.Marian/MarionEliot, Marion Cushing (TSE's sister) Cushing Eliot (1877–1964), fourth child of Henry Ware Eliot and Charlotte Eliot: see Biographical Register.
1.EdwardHale, Edward Hale (1858–1918), Unitarian minister, father of Emily Hale: see Biographical Register.
2.BarbaraHutton, Barbara Hutton (1912–79), rich socialite and philanthropist; heir to a goodly portion of the Woolworth fortune. She was to be married seven times (one of those – the third – was to the actor Cary Grant).
3.KurtKoffka, Kurt Koffka (1886–1941), German-born psychologist; from 1927 a professor at Smith College; works include The Growth of the Mind: An Introduction to Child Psychology (1924) and The Principles of Gestalt Psychology (1935). His wife was Elisabeth Ahlgrimm.
6.MarianneMoore, Marianne Moore (1887–1972) contributed to The Egoist from 1915. She went on to become in 1925 acting editor of The Dial, editor, 1927–9, and an influential modern poet. Eliot found her ‘an extremely intelligent person, very shy … One of the most observant people I have ever met.’ Writing to her on 3 April 1921, he said her verse interested him ‘more than that of anyone now writing in America’. And in his introduction to Selected Poems (1935), which he brought out from Faber & Faber, he stated that her ‘poems form part of the small body of durable poetry written in our time’. TSE told Marion Dorn, 3 Jan. 1944, that he met Marianne Moore ‘once … in New York, but I took a great fancy to her: she and Bunny Wilson were the two people I liked best of those whom I met in New York in 1933. She is a very unusual person, as well as a good poet.’
4.LadyMorrell, Lady Ottoline Ottoline Morrell (1873–1938), hostess and patron: see Biographical Register.
4.EdwardPakenham, Edward, 6th Earl of Longford Pakenham, 6th Earl of Longford (1902–61), Anglo-Catholic Irish peer, politician (Irish Nationalist), dramatist and translator, succeeded to the earldom in 1915 and was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. Chairman of the Gate Theatre, Dublin, 1930–6. Yahoo (1933), his play about Jonathan Swift – ‘the father of modern Irish nationalism,’ as Longford hailed him – was running at the Westminster Theatre, London.
2.AdaSheffield, Ada Eliot (TSE's sister) Eliot Sheffield (1869–1943), eldest of the seven Eliot children; author of The Social Case History: Its Construction and Content (1920) and Social Insight in Case Situations (1937): see Biographical Register.
2.TheodoraSmith, Theodora ('Dodo') Eliot (TSE's niece) Eliot Smith (1904–92) – ‘Dodo’ – daughter of George Lawrence and Charlotte E. Smith: see Biographical Register. Theodora’sSmith, Charlotte ('Chardy') Stearns (TSE's niece) sister was Charlotte Stearns Smith (b. 1911), known as ‘Chardy’.
2.GeoffreyTandy, Geoffrey Tandy (1900–69), marine biologist; Assistant Keeper of Botany at the Natural History Museum, London, 1926–47; did broadcast readings for the BBC (including the first reading of TSE’s Practical Cats on Christmas Day 1937): see Biographical Register.