[Thousand Pines Inn, Tryon, N. Carolina; forwarded to Apt. 17, 90 Commonwealth Ave, Boston]
Letter 30.
ISheffield, Alfred Dwight ('Shef' or 'Sheff')writes explaining Ada's condition;b1 have had a letter from Sheff, last week, dated February 16, which would have been my first acquaintance with the facts but for your cable which led me to cable to Henry and Frank. IEliot, Henry Ware, Jr. (TSE's brother);g9 have no letter from Henry yet, and none this last week from you (that is, I have had only one from Tryon).
In spite of a busy week, with two meetings, andCheetham, Revd Eric;f1 inSt. Stephen's Church, Gloucester Roadvestry goings-on;a2 spite of getting rather chilled sitting in the vestry while Fr. Cheetham explained all his difficulties about the organist and the church music (which I did not want to hear in such detail, as I could do nothing about them, and I wanted to discuss the agenda for the vestry meeting next week) (I also wanted to find out where my mother’s tea kettle and your cow watercolour were stored, so that I could get them out) I have had no relapse: theFaber, Enid Eleanor;b7 flu has passed on, taking up Enid Faber, so that Geoffrey and I had to dine out on Wednesday andFaber and Faber (F&F)fire-watching duties at;e6 hurry back as we have to be in by 8 o’clock for the fire watching. In addition I had a rather disturbed day on Sunday. TheBrownes, the Martinand their Pilgrim Players;c1 Brownes, who had been invited to lunch, arrived in their Pilgrim Players van shortly after 11 a.m. We had lunch at 12.45, soYeats, William Butler ('W. B.')Resurrection;c7 that Martin could hurry down to the church, where Yeats’s ‘Resurrection’ was to be performed at 3 o’clock. A party from Shamley attended (HopeMirrlees, Hope;c2 M. very nervous lest there should be a religious service, which as a Roman she would not be supposed to attend). TheChrist Church, Shamley GreenPilgrim Players' Resurrection at;a9 play is a little above the ordinary village audience, perhaps; but the costumes were good, and the children enjoyed it. I was rather doubtful about the play for performance in a church, especially about the moment when Our Lord (Martin himself) has to cross the stage (he doesn’t speak, so that apparently the law of the land is not broken); but, although his Greek and his Syrian were not very good actors, Martin had made a very good job indeed, and I feel pretty happy about it, as well as moved by the play. But produced by someone without good taste, it might be painful. Actors are difficult to get, and not always to keep, nowadays. I don’t know how Martin and Henzie stand the life they lead and have lead for the last three years: always on the move, and not having the privacy of a hotel, but always stopping as guests of people interested. They have been staying in Guildford and from there making excursions to fill engagements in neighbouring towns and villages: they were going on to give another performance in the evening. I wish I had time to try to write a little play for them – I know they want me to, as there are few enough plays which are possible for their purposes – JamesBridie, Jameswrites Pilgrim Players two plays;a2 Bridie has written two for them. I thought Henzie looked very tired indeed, although she has no part in this play. They are trying to get their boys back from America, and with that in view, Henzie intends to find a flat in London, and retire from the Players for a time.
IAnglo-Swedish Societythen in London;a2 also'Civilisation: the Nature of Cultural Relations';a3 addressed the Anglo-Swedish Society on Thursday: they seemed pleased. The Swedish Minister was there; and enough blonde Swedish girls were found to be dressed up in peasant costumes to serve what proved a delicious ‘fork lunch’. But this took me two days to prepare; and now (having'John Dryden's Tragedies';a2 written aBritish Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)Dryden talk;d2 short talk on Dryden for the Indian BBC) IBritish–Norwegian Instituteand 'The Social Function of Poetry';a1 must'Social Function of Poetry, The';a4 write out my talk for the Norwegian Institute. Itravels, trips and plansTSE's 1943 trip to Edinburgh;e8;a2 don’t know whether I mentioned that I expect to go up to Edinburgh for two or three nights towards the end of April (probably before Easter) to speak to the French and to the Poles, and perhaps to broadcast over the Scottish Regional. IFaber, Geoffreydeputed to America on publishing business;i8 hope that Geoffrey will get off to America soon,1 as I want to get that over with, and can’t even settle a brief summer holiday (which I want very much) to say nothing of the unlikely visit of my own, until his dates are settled.
I wish I could see even a snapshot of you in your southern surroundings. I do hope that it will prove satisfactory enough for you to be able to stay until it is really high spring in the north, as it might be dangerous to come back from that climate to the New England winter. I know how little the inactive life suits you; and I know how difficult it is, even under the most favourable conditions, to turn it into the contemplative life.
1.FaberFaber, Geoffreydeputed to America on publishing business;i8 toDawson, Geoffrey;a4n Geoffrey Dawson, 2 Apr. 1943: ‘I am going to America as one of a mission of three English publishers sent by our Publishers’ Association, with the approval and backing of the Ministry of Information, and in response to the invitation of the American Book Publishers Bureau and the American Office of War Information. Our job is to discuss a number of important trade questions of concern to publishers on both sides of the Atlantic – amongst them copyright and overseas markets. We are also to try and explore methods of getting English books better known in America; but that is not for communication to the Americans themselves quite in those terms. We expect to be in America for about six weeks, which has got to include a flying visit to Canada to meet the Canadian publishers. With luck I ought to be back about the beginning of June. It is a bit of a thrill to me, as I haven’t ever been to the States’.
2.JamesBridie, James Bridie (1888–1951) – pen name of Dr O. H. Mavor – physician and playwright.
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.
9.GeoffreyDawson, Geoffrey Dawson (1874–1944), editor of The Times, 1912–19, 1922–41.
3.HenryEliot, Henry Ware, Jr. (TSE's brother) Ware Eliot (1879–1947), TSE’s older brother: see Biographical Register.
1.TSE was mistaken here. EnidFaber, Enid Eleanor Eleanor Faber (1901–95) was the daughter of Sir Henry Erle Richards (1861–1922), Fellow of All Souls College and Chichele Professor of International Law and Diplomacy at Oxford University, and Mary Isabel Butler (1868–1945).
11.GeoffreyFaber, Geoffrey Faber (1889–1961), publisher and poet: see Biographical Register.
2.HopeMirrlees, Hope Mirrlees (1887–1978), British poet, novelist, translator and biographer, was to become a close friend of TSE: see Biographical Register.
8.AlfredSheffield, Alfred Dwight ('Shef' or 'Sheff') Dwight Sheffield (1871–1961) – ‘Shef’ or ‘Sheff’ – husband of TSE’s eldest sister, taught English at University School, Cleveland, Ohio, and was an English instructor, later Professor, of Group Work at Wellesley College. His publications include Lectures on the Harvard Classics: Confucianism (1909) and Grammar and Thinking: a study of the working conceptions in syntax (1912).
4.W. B. YeatsYeats, William Butler ('W. B.') (1865–1939), Irish poet and playwright: see Biographical Register.