[22 Paradise Rd., Northampton, Mass.]

T. S.Eliot
EmilyHale
TS
Shamley
Letter 102
December 1, 1941
Dearest,

I returned yesterday after eight days absence, but found no letter from you: if there is none by the end of this week I shall cable. I presume that if you were seriously ill, so that you could [not] expect to write for some time to come, youPerkinses, the;k2 would ask the Perkins’s to let me know (by air mail, at least). But I cannot think of anything happening except illness. I hope you are not engaged in too many activities.

IOldhams, the;a2Oldham, JosephOldhams, the had a busy week, with the weekend at Oxford (the Oldhams, with whom I stayed, are vegetarians – which means that they cannot buy meat, as they have given up their meat coupons for more of other supplies such as cheese. I do not find vegetarian fare very satisfying, especially during a conference) discussing education, but very largely those lower branches of it of which I have no practical experience. OnBritish Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)broadcasts Webster talk;c7 Tuesday I'Duchess of Malfy, The';a4 broadcast to India; onSword of the Spirit, Thecommittee meetings of;a1 Thursday I had the Sword of Spirit meeting, which was chiefly concerned with procedure and points of organisation, and again I took but a small part; andTrevelyan, Maryand Student Movement House;a2 on Saturday afternoon I talked about the future of culture to Mary Trevelyan’s group of students, largely refugees – an intelligent group on the whole, who kept up a lively discussion for an hour afterwards. I returned before lunch on Sunday, and go back to town tomorrow, feeling very indisposed to do so; thenNew English Weekly;b9 return on Thursday morning to spend that day in a conference in Guildford. I mean to take until the following Wednesday in the country: which I hope will restore me and give me some time to think. I shall at least not spend much time over Christmas presents this year: toys are of course scarce, and no one is expected to use his own coupons in buying the usual sort of gift of clothing, such as handkerchiefs; and as for Christmas cards, that is an unjustifiable use of paper and envelopes. TheFabers, theinvite TSE to Wales for Christmas;g5 Fabers want me to come to Wales for Christmas with them, but I think that it would be too tiring to travel: and here at least I have privacy except at meal times. AtSt. Stephen's Church, Gloucester RoadChristmas without;a9 Christmas I miss the full services of St. Stephen’s, with the holydays afterwards.

I shall write at greater length when I return for the weekend. I miss your weekly letter very much!

Your loving
Tom
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), TSE's committee service for, its future discussed, TSE working on autumn programme for, TSE on educational broadcasting in general, Barbara Burnham production of Murder, lobbies TSE for next play, 'The Need for Poetic Drama', Metaphyical poet broadcasts for, 'The Church's Message to the World', Christmas Day 'Cats' broadcast, dramatic Waste Land adaptation, which is censored for broadcast, repeats 'Cats', plays Parsifal on Good Friday, broadcasts Hawkins interview with TSE, 'Towards a Christian Britain', 1941 production of Murder, Eastern Service broadcasts East Coker, broadcasts Webster talk, Tennyson talk, Dry Salvages, Poe talk, Dryden talk, Joyce talk, European Service broadcasts TSE's talk, TSE declines Christmas broadcast for, wants to record 'Milton II', broadcasts TSE's personal poetry selection, broadcasts Gielgud's Family Reunion, marks TSE's 60th birthday, Gielgud Family Reunion repeated, solicits TSE post-Nobel Prize, TSE's EP broadcast for, records TSE reading Ash-Wednesday, floats Reith Lectures suggestion, approaches Marilyn Monroe to star in Fitts's Lysistrata,
'Duchess of Malfy, The',
Fabers, the, model of happiness and respectability, their domestic situation, Faber children to tea chez Eliot, visit TSE at Pike's Farm, compared to the Morleys, closer to TSE than to VHE, 1933 summer holiday with, Ty Glyn Aeron described, request TSE to write play, too absorbed in their children, at the Morleys' party, give anti-Nazi party for author, host poker party, 1934 summer holiday with, take TSE to lunch in Oxford, 1935 summer holiday with, for which the children are bought tent, give party, 1936 summer holiday with, at Morleys' Thanksgiving Day party, sail model boats with TSE, and TSE's foggy adventure, cinema-going with TSE, take TSE to Witch of Edmonton, and Morleys take TSE to pantomime, and TSE attend opening of Ascent of F6, 1937 summer holiday with, and the Bradfield Greek play, School for Scandal with, take TSE to pantomime again, 1938 summer holiday with, 1939 summer holiday with, offer possible wartime refuge, 1940 summer holiday with, host TSE in Hampstead during war, TSE makes bread sauce for, brought vegetables from Shamley, move to Minsted, and TSE attend musical revue, 1941 summer holiday with, Minsted as substitute for nursing-home, trying to sell Welsh home, take TSE to International Squadron, invite TSE to Wales for Christmas, host TSE at Minsted, away fishing in Scotland, mourn TSE's post-war independence, 1947 Minsted summer stay, 1948 Minsted summer stay, host TSE for weekend, on 1950 South Africa trip, on TSE's 1951 Spain trip, 1951 Minsted summer stay, 1952 Minsted summer stay, 1953 Minsted summer stay, on 1953–4 South Africa trip, 35th wedding anniversary weekend,
New English Weekly, TSE joins editorial committee of, discussed with Mairet, TSE writing 'Views and Reviews' for, and Edward VIII, TSE's natural post-Criterion home, two contributions to, TSE attacks H. G. Wells in, prints East Coker, commission TSE on Keynes,
Oldhams, the,
Perkinses, the, likely to be interested in An Adventure, compared to Mary Ware, enjoyable dinner at the Ludlow with, take to TSE, TSE desires parental intimacy with, their dinner-guests dismissed by TSE, who repents of seeming ingratitude, TSE confides separation plans to, too polite, questioned as companions for EH, offered English introductions, entertained on arrival in London, seek residence in Chichester, given introduction to G. C. Coulton, take house at Chipping Camden, as Chipping Campden hosts, given introduction to Bishop Bell, TSE entertains at Oxford and Cambridge Club, TSE's private opinion on, TSE encourages EH's independence from, their repressive influence on EH, buy TSE gloves for Christmas, sent Lapsang Souchong on arrival in England, invite TSE to Campden, move apartment, anticipate 1938 English summer, descend on EH in Northampton, and EH's wartime return to America, temporarily homeless, enfeebled, EH forwards TSE teenage letter to, their health, which is a burden, approve EH's permanent Abbot position,
St. Stephen's Church, Gloucester Road, EH encouraged to visit, vestry goings-on, churchwarding at, Christmas at, receives TSE's BBC fee, two days' continuous prayer at, Christmas without, Lent without, wartime Easter at, in wartime, wartime Holy Week, TSE reduced to Sundays at, fundraising for,
Sword of the Spirit, The, committee meetings of,
Trevelyan, Mary, recalling TSE's foggy adventure, and Student Movement House, describes situation in liberated Europe, reports from liberated Belgium, returns to London, smuggles TSE's whisky into hospital, significance of VHE's death explained to, TSE describes relationship with EH to, a 'kindly thorn',

2.MaryTrevelyan, Mary Trevelyan (1897–1983), Warden of Student Movement House, worked devotedly to support the needs of overseas students in London (her institution was based at 32 Russell Square, close to the offices of F&F; later at 103 Gower Street); founder and first governor of International Students House, London. Trevelyan left an unpublished memoir of her friendship with TSE – ‘The Pope of Russell Square’ – whom she long desired to marry. See further Biographical Register.