[22 Paradise Rd., Northampton, Mass.]
Your letter of May 9th arrived to-day, in time for me to reply tonight by the Bremen, and so assure you once more that English mails are still being delivered faithfully by German vessels. Itravels, trips and plansEH's 1939 England visit;d5TSE's efforts to coordinate with;a1 was very glad to have it but, dear me, how uncertain and difficult this summer is to arrange. IPerkins, Dr John Carroll (EH's uncle);d3 can understand Dr. Perkins’s greater hesitations as he ages, but I hope that nothing will disturb him further between now and the end of the month. PerhapsSeaverns, Helen;c9 I shall have more news from Mrs. Seaverns when I dine with her on the 24th. AlsoSmith, Theodora ('Dodo') Eliot (TSE's niece)and Marion's 1939 visit to England;c1in doubt;a2, IEliot, Marion Cushing (TSE's sister)1939 summer in England with Dodo;d3trip in doubt;a5 do not know whether Marion and Dodo are coming or not: that depends, not so much on fears of war, as on the latter’s position, and apparently she won’t know until June. In any case, I cannot make any definite plans for what to do with them until they come. I have a recommended address in Woodbridge, Suffolk; andTandys, thetake large Dorset cottage;b1 the Tandys now have a large cottage in Dorset, where they could take paying guests. I thought of trying a week with them at each. If you and they should come, and not the Perkins’s, and you were here only for July, I should aim to do my going away with them in August. Anyway, there is nothing to be done about it at present.
IMurdock, Kenneth B.;a6 am rather doubtful about Murdock for such a position! but I have never quite made him out – or quite taken to him either.
I am glad to hear of seasonable weather with you. Here, after another cold spell, very rainy, it has begun to get a little milder again to-day. IFelsted School, Essexfledgling literary society addressed;a1 went to Felsted School in Essex on Tuesday, and inaugurated the new ‘Literary Society’ just formed there, giving some twenty boys an informal talk about the purpose and conduct of Literary Societies, with a few ‘don’ts’, and everybody seemed pleased.1 AWodehouse, P. G.'master of style';a2 couple of the junior masters expressed pleasure at my commending P. G. Wodehouse as a master of style. IBickersteth, Revd Julian;a2 had a very cordial note of thanks from Bickersteth afterwards. ThisMirrleeses, the;a1 weekend I must go to the Mirrlees’s in Surrey and next week to Herbert Read’s in Jordans: both I do unwillingly, and therefore go on Saturday afternoon instead of Friday. TheReads, thetake TSE to Toscanini;a3 ReadsToscanini, Arturothe Reads accompany TSE to hear;a1, however, are taking me to a Toscanini concert on Sunday (Whitsun). IBoutwood Lectures (afterwards The Idea of a Christian Society)being rewritten for publication;a9 am extremely busy trying to get my Cambridge lectures polished off for press by the end of June: bothOld Possum’s Book of Practical Catsto appear autumn 1939;c4 they and the Cats are supposed to appear in the autumn.
IHale, Emilywritings;x4review of Dangerous Corner;a6 readPriestley, J. B.Dangerous Corner;a8 your review of ‘Dangerous Corner’2 with much approval – that is, never having seen the play, and of course knowing nothing of this production, I can only say that it is a model of form and balance of attention between production and individual actors. As is right with a revival of an old play, you avoided criticising the play itself: I wish that London reviewers would be equally restrained. IHale, Emilyencouraged to write drama criticism;l4 wish that you could review better plays and in more conspicuous places. NotPriestley, J. B.invites TSE to dinner;a4 that I know anything about the play: and at the moment I am on the best of terms with Priestley – they have asked me to dine week after next. Anyway, I am glad that you should do reviewing from time to time, to keep your hand in. I imagine that in a small department like yours, where the heads are well dug in and are not so brilliant as to be snatched away by other institutions, progress is slow; but I am happy and proud that you have made such a success of what you have had to do, all the more in a way because it is not the work congenial to you.
Boerredogs'Boerre' (Norwegian Elkhound);b7'disorderly';b9 seems to be a hopelessly disorderly dog, but perhaps he is none the less lovable.
I am glad you reminded me about Georgie Powell, who had slipped my mind: but oh dear how many letters shall I have to read through to find your first instructions! It is my own fault for not sending off the books at once.
1.TSE addressed the boys of Felsted School, Essex, on 16 May 1939.
2.J. B. Priestley, Dangerous Corner (1932).
8.RevdBickersteth, Revd Julian Julian Bickersteth, MC (1885–1962) – Anglican priest, military chaplain, teacher, Headmaster of Felsted School, Essex (later Archdeacon of Maidstone, Kent, 1942–58) – wrote on 11 Mar. to invite TSE to address a new literary society for the senior boys: TSE was to visit the school on 16 May 1939.
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.KennethMurdock, Kenneth B. B. Murdock (1895–1975), Associate Professor of English, Harvard University, 1930–2; Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, 1931–6; Master of Leverett House, 1931–41. Works include Increase Mather (1924), Literature and Theology in Colonial New England (1949); The Notebooks of Henry James (with F. O. Matthiessen, 1947).
3.DrPerkins, Dr John Carroll (EH's uncle) John Carroll Perkins (1862–1950), Minister of King’s Chapel, Boston: see Biographical Register.
1.J. B. PriestleyPriestley, J. B. (1894–1984), novelist, playwright, social commentator, broadcaster; author of bestselling novels including The Good Companions (1929) and Angel Pavement (1930); and plays including Time and the Conways (1937) and An Inspector Calls (1945).
3.HelenSeaverns, Helen Seaverns, widow of the American-born businessman and Liberal MP, Joel Herbert Seaverns: 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’.