[41 Brimmer St., Boston]

T. S.Eliot

EmilyHale

TS

Faber & Faber Ltd

20 November 1931

My Emily

Your dear letter of the 7th arrived yesterday – it was very good of you to write at once as well as cable. ICharles Eliot Norton Professorship of PoetryTSE accepts;a5 must emphasise that the matter does not appear to be settled – I have too much experience of hopes to depend upon anything in the least uncertain – but if I am not appointed, it will probably be because of some strong personal objection on the part of the President. But so far as I am concerned, I have definitely accepted.

I read your letter with very mixed feelings, but here are my conclusions. Ittravels, trips and plansTSE's 1932–3 year in America;a7and the prospect of reunion with EH;a2 would be very much more depressing to me to come expecting not to see you at all, than to come somewhat apprehensive of how we should arrange if you were in Boston. If you were somewhere where I might see you even once during my stay, it would make all the difference; but if you were in California, it might be difficult to find an excuse to go so far, in order to see you; I would fly anywhere on the prospect of seeing you, if I had a sufficient pretext. But if you are in Boston, it is neither the first meeting, nor the public meetings, which worry me. As for the latter, as you say, we both know how to play parts. As for the former, I cannot finally imagine it, or ‘arrange’ it in my mind beforehand, because of its complete uniqueness in my life; but I do not worry about that; I might just break down and blubber, I dare say. It would be the question of whether and when, and if so how and how often, to see you after that, which would be the problem: it is not the obviously set rôle, so to speak, in private, which is the difficult one. I hope you understand this quite as I mean it; it is important to me that you should. How can anyone know how much control he has over his own feelings until it is tested? My emotions might be so strong that I might find it impossible to see you alone ex- [sic] on arriving and before leaving; or on the other hand the undercurrents might flow quite easily below a relation of expressed friendship.

But in short, we are not able to foresee, and the reasonable thing is to make our plans irrespective of each other … But Oh Dove my dear, I do so long to see you.

Tom

For the rest of your letter – more on Monday. I believe I understand you very well.

Charles Eliot Norton Professorship of Poetry, TSE ruminates on offer of,

which TSE cannot afford to refuse,

TSE pressed to accept,

and EH's possible post at Scripps,

TSE accepts,

TSE in suspense over,

apparently a certainty,

America reporters seek to confirm appointment,

but still no official notice,

critical to TSE's finances,

official notice finally received,

a break with present existence,

attendant social obligations dreaded,

announced in the American press,

travels, trips and plans, EH's 1930 trip to England,

EH's proposed 1931 England visit,

called off,

EH's 1932 summer holidays,

the Eliots' Derby Day excursion,

related,

the Eliots' July 1932 Hindhead visit,

the Eliots' August 1932 Eastbourne holiday,

described,

TSE's 1932–3 year in America, Norton Professorship offered to TSE,

and the prospect of reunion with EH,

which TSE refuses to see as decisive,

which angers EH,

who writes and destroys a response,

TSE's financial imperatives,

TSE's itinerary,

and the question of discretion,

opportunity for adventurous lecture-tours,

TSE speculates on attendant feelings,

TSE on the voyage over,

TSE reflects on,

TSE's return from,

the Eliot family's Randolph holiday,

TSE's 1933 westward tour to Scripps, proposed to EH,

and TSE's need to lecture,

possibly via St. Louis,

TSE's itinerary,

possible stopover in Seattle,

a shameful source of happiness,

still a happy thought,

described by Havens and others,

TSE reflects on,

TSE's return from,

TSE wonders at after-effect on EH,

EH urged to reflect honestly on,

Ada on,

and a conversation about divorce,

in EH's recollection,

possible EH 1933 summer in England,

TSE's 1933 Faber summer holiday, set for mid-August,

postponed,

rearranged,

TSE buys summer outfits for,

described,

[undated: September 1933];

TSE's 1933 tour of Scotland, possible itinerary,

Morley's preparations for,

described for EH,

TSE's 1933 trip to Paris, mooted,

described,

EH's 1934–5 year in Europe,

TSE delighted at the prospect,

attempts to coordinate with TSE's 1934 summer plans,

the Perkinses due in Chipping Camden,

EH's itinerary,

[late July 1934];

TSE's initial weekend at Chipping Campden,

TSE books rooms in Lechlade,

TSE visits Campden again with family,

and again alone,

which visit TSE reflects on,

TSE's plans to entertain EH en route to Europe,

EH's continental itinerary,

07/12/34, 07/12/34;

VHE and propriety inhibit pre-Paris arrangements,

L'Escargot lunch,

weekend in Sussex for EH's birthday,

possible London tea-party,

second lunch at L'Escargot,

EH and TSE's November excursions,

a month which TSE reflects happily on,

EH's summer 1935 plans,

EH departs England,

EH in Florence,

arrived in Rome,

TSE coordinating with EH's return,

TSE recommends Siena,

EH returns to Florence,

EH sails for Riviera,

EH returns from France,

L'Escargot lunch on EH's return,

EH sails for Guernsey,

May 1935,

EH's June 1935 London sortie,

TSE attends Dr Perkins's birthday,

TSE's July 1935 Campden week,

TSE offers to fund EH in London,

where EH joins Jeanie McPherrin,

TSE's Campden birthday weekend,

prospect of EH spending month at Blomfield Terrace,

19/08/35, 19/08/35[n];

Thorp theatre outing,

TSE's 6–8 September Campden weekend,

EH staying at 19 Rosary Gardens,

EH to Campden for 15–17 November,

EH sails for Boston,

EH and TSE's final farewell,

TSE and EH's final weeks in London,

their excursion to Finchampstead,

TSE reflects on,

excursion to Greenwich,

EH reflects on the final weeks of,

TSE's 1934 Faber summer holiday,

described,

TSE's dream of Cairo,

TSE's invitation to Finland, palmed off on Robert Nichols,

TSE's 1935 tour of Scotland, proposed by Blake,

attempts to coordinate with EH,

TSE's itinerary,

TSE's 1935 Faber summer holiday,

TSE writes from,

described,

TSE's 1936 visit to Ireland, TSE's itinerary,

recounted,

TSE's spring/summer 1936 trip to Paris, first contemplated,

date fixed,

Morleys invited,

TSE's itinerary,

recounted,

TSE's 1936 Faber summer holiday,

TSE writes from,

TSE's 1936 American trip,

spring arrival dependent on New York Murder,

if not spring, then autumn,

possible excursions,

autumn better for seeing EH,

and possible Princeton offer,

and possible Smith visit,

efforts to coordinate with EH,

passage on Alaunia booked,

TSE's itinerary,

Murder to pay for,

coordinating with Eliot Randolph holiday,

the moment of parting from EH,

TSE's birthday during,

TSE reflects on,

TSE's 1937 tour of Scotland,

itinerary,

recounted,

the Morley–Eliot 1937 trip to Salzburg, contemplated,

itinerary,

EH receives postcard from,

described,

as relayed to OM,

EH's 1937 summer in England,

and Mrs Seaverns,

EH accompanies TSE to Edinburgh,

itinerary coordinated with EH,

dinner at L'Escargot,

TSE's 10–11 July Campden visit,

TSE's 17–22 July Campden visit,

TSE's 21 August Campden visit,

EH travels to Yorkshire,

TSE reminisces about,

24/09/37, 24/09/37;

TSE's 1937 Faber summer holiday,

TSE reports from,

leaves TSE sunburnt,

TSE's 1938 trip to Lisbon, outlined to EH,

TSE advised on,

travel arrangements,

the voyage out,

described,

EH's 1938 summer in England, and whether EH should spend it at Campden,

EH's arrival confirmed,

TSE's July Campden visit,

EH's late-July London stay,

TSE's 5–21 August Campden fortnight,

TSE's 3–6 September Campden visit,

EH's September London stay,

TSE reflects on,

TSE's 1938 Faber summer holiday,

TSE's preparations for,

TSE reports from,

possible EH England Christmas 1938 visit,

possible TSE 1939 visit to America, mooted for spring,

complicated by Marion and Dodo's trip,

shifted to autumn,

threatened by war,

made impossible,

EH's 1939 England visit, TSE's efforts to coordinate with,

threatened by war,

complicated by Marion's arrival,

EH's itinerary,

EH's initial London stay,

TSE's 7–20 July Campden visit,

TSE's 22–30 August Campden visit,

TSE's 2–4 September Campden visit,

EH again London,

EH and TSE's parting moments,

in TSE's memory,

memory vitiated by EH's subsequent letter,

TSE's 1939 Faber summer holiday,

TSE writes from,

possible wartime transatlantic crossings, contingencies,

in case of EH being ill,

TSE's reasons for and against,

and TSE's New York proposition,

following invasion Denmark and Norway,

impossible for TSE unless official,

TSE's desire to remain in England,

TSE's reasons for and against accepting lectureship,

given Ada's impending death,

TSE's abortive 1940 Italian mission, possible but confidential,

lectures prepared for,

and the prospect of seeing EP,

might include Paris,

itinerary,

in jeopardy,

final preparations for,

cancelled,

17/05/40, 17/05/40[n],

TSE's 1940 visit to Dublin, approved by Foreign Office,

in national interest,

itinerary,

recounted,

involves TSE's first plane-journey,

TSE's 1940 Faber summer holiday,

TSE reports from,

TSE's 1941 Faber summer holiday,

Kipling and fishing-rod packed for,

TSE reports from,

TSE's 1941 Northern tour, proposed by the Christendom group,

arranged with Demant,

itinerary,

recounted,

TSE's 1942 British Council mission to Sweden, TSE makes cryptic allusion to,

as recounted to EH,

as recounted to JDH,

return leg in London,

as war-work,

TSE's 1942 New Forest holiday,

described,

[early July 1942];

TSE's 1942 week in Scotland,

recounted,

TSE's abortive 1942 Iceland mission,

TSE's 1943 trip to Edinburgh,

recounted,

TSE's abortive 1943 Iceland mission,

TSE's 1943 New Forest holiday,

TSE's 1944 trip to Edinburgh,

TSE's abortive 1944 North Africa mission,

TSE's May 1945 trip to Paris,

described,

TSE's June 1945 trip to Paris,

recounted,

possible post-war American visit,

and Henry's impending death,

ideally ancillary to work,

possibly as F&F's representative,

waits on TSE's health and Carlyle Mansions,

TSE's 1945 September fortnight in Lee,

described,

TSE's 1945 Christmas in Lee,

described,

TSE's 1946 summer in America, date for passage fixed,

paperwork for,

TSE's itinerary,

its aftermath,

recounted,

TSE's 1947 summer in America, dependent on lecture engagements,

TSE seeks to bring forward,

Henry's condition brings further forward,

set for April,

itinerary,

EH reflects on,

TSE's scheduled December 1947 visit to Marseilles and Rome,

itinerary,

TSE's preparations for,

dreaded,

Roman leg described by Roger Hinks,

EH's hypothetical March 1948 visit to England,

TSE's postponed 1948 trip to Aix,

itinerary,

recounted,

home via Paris,

TSE's 1948 trip to America,

itinerary,

TSE's visit to EH in Andover,

disrupted by Nobel Prize,

TSE's 1948 Nobel Prize visit to Stockholm,

itinerary,

recounted,

TSE's 1949 family motor-tour of Scotland,

described,

27/09/49, 27/09/49[n];

TSE's October–November 1949 trip to Germany,

possible itinerary,

preparations for,

final itinerary,

TSE's account of,

the return via Belgium,

TSE's January 1950 voyage to South Africa, all but fixed,

itinerary,

described by TSE,

recounted by Faber,

EH's 1950 summer in England,

TSE books EH's hotel room for,

TSE's efforts to coordinate with EH's movements,

EH in Campden,

TSE reports to Aunt Edith on,

TSE's 1950 visit to America, and TSE's possible Chicago post,

the Chicago leg,

November itinerary,

TSE's spring 1951 trip to Spain,

itinerary,

recounted,

TSE's September 1951 Geneva stay,

itinerary,

recounted,

TSE's 1951 British Council mission to Paris,

recounted,

TSE's second 1951 British Council mission to Paris, recounted,

TSE's 1952 visit to Rennes and the Riviera,

itinerary,

recounted,

TSE's 1952 visit to America,

itinerary,

efforts to coordinate with EH's summer,

TSE on meeting with EH,

TSE's 1952 rest cure in Switzerland,

TSE's 1953 visit to St. Louis and America, set for June,

to include fortnight in Cambridge,

itinerary,

EH's 1953 trip to England, EH's Alnwick plans,

TSE books hotel for EH,

and EH's ticket to Confidential Clerk,

TSE's 1953 visit to Geneva,

TSE's 1953–4 trip to South Africa, itinerary,

described,

arrival described to JDH,

GCF on,

TSE's 1954 Geneva rest cure, Geneva preferred to Paris,

TSE's deferred 1955 visit to Hamburg, prospect inspires reluctance in TSE,

proposed for spring 1955,

dreaded,

TSE now returned from,

TSE's 1955 visit to America, and contingent speaking engagements,

foreshortened,

itinerary,

Washington described,

TSE's return from,

TSE's 1955 Geneva rest cure,

TSE's 1956 visit to America, passage fixed for April,

itinerary,

TSE in the midst of,

TSE reflects on,

TSE's 1956 Geneva rest cure,

itinerary,

recounted,

illness during,

EH's 1957 visit to England, TSE and EVE invited to Campden,

TSE reciprocates with London invitation,

but EH leaves England abruptly,

which TSE consults Eleanor Hinkley over,

who duly explains,

TSE and EVE's 1958 trip to America,

as rumoured to EH,

EH's 1959 tour of Scandinavia, funded by bequest from cousin,

TSE and EVE's 1959 trip to America,

TSE and EVE's 1963 trip to America,