305 ORPHANAGE ROAD
ERDINGTON
BIRMINGHAM
THE LAST DAY OF JUNE
1938
– – – – – – – –

My Dear,
You are indeed a talented, as well as a very charming, person, and your swift learning of the art of driving is another proof of this.  Good. We must get you adept at changing gear, up and down, and voila tout.

Excuse me, I will fill the pipe, that puffing peacefully I can write with that calmness of mind and gentleness of disposition so apt when in correspondence with yourself.

Ah.

That “hare in my soup” was divine.  Glad you liked it; you could do as well, you have the delicate wit necessary and the art to draw. Animals are your forte as yet. Nice things to have forte of, too.

I’ve just come back from an hour with a very charming and a very apologetic Anne, who likes Night Freight now as regards construction and as regards material, but- quite rightly as I now see- feels that we can ginger up the technical side of the production and give the characters more depth with a more colloquial type of dialogue. I was too concerned with construction and material to notice the dialogue which is too weak, reads well, talks badly.  So I’m attacking it yet again, too much prose writing has got me out of step with dialogue.  It’ll be all right this time.  But you will see that what with this urgently, several other ideas, the Dairy work, some adverts to write as samples and one thing and another, I am full of work for a spell, I’d have liked to have worked all Sunday, but that, alas, is not possible.

Hell of a cloud-burst going on.

Its not very wise to make my popping in and out an excuse for not changing your domestic arrangements, I can always have the camp bed somewhere. But its not my affair.

It is a long time until Saturday, but heigh ho, it can’t be helped.  We’ll do more on your birthday- a much neater nicer time altogether, than mine.  They have become such common things to me.  (But actually I get as thrilled about, the idea as a two year old, I mean as a seven-year-old)

I must to work, life is like that.  I wanna little house and enough money to pay for it. Up Laurence & Scott. Ha.

Up the novel, too.

Isn’t the enclosed nice?

Cheerio and bless you.  All my love,
Ever yours. . .
David

                          Believe it or believe it not, as I drove up Livery Street this evening I saw a car no. COV 3, and then outside the B.B.C there was CPJ /3. So that was two threes in ten minutes and then in New Street there was a third. But no 4’s. A 1, two 5’s and an 8, Still I am in the fours.

                        This is being written whilst the orchestra do their stuff, upstairs with Victor. Oh, will you call at the Art School tomorrow or sometime for a block which J.G.L will have there for you. There is no urgency if it is inconvenient, but useful if you can collect it.

                        Her Royal Bacteriological Highness has for some reason best known to herself altered our plans and tomorrow we do not work. Cricket ? And some driving ? Or the picttures ? Or my place ? What ? I have a conference here, I think, until about half past six, but its hard to say exactly what time I shall be finished, maybe at six o’clock. Shall we meet at the Library ? I’ll go there as soon as I have finished, upstairs in the reference room, and I’ll either find you there or wait for you there. Should I be away in time I’d be at your works, but that is a doubtful proposition. All rather wague and vooley I’m afraid. But I’ll be at the Library between 6.30 and 7.30. Then we’ll do as the weather, our wishes, our inclinations and everything else suggests,

                        Thursday and Friday are quite definitely gone. Shame, but there it is. Saturday cricket though. Good. Do go to bed early these evenings, you could develop enough strength of mind if you tried. Any fool can sit about wastefully until he, or more usually she, is too tired to be able to make the effort. After which quite unnecessary sermon, because you are quite able to decide for yourself and can go to bed any blamed time you fancy, the matter had better be allowed to drop.

                        To-day I have spent on that bloomin’ Night Freight,which means that I’ve spent much too long on it. Anyhow, it is delivered now and, I sincerely hope, done with.

                        Tomorrow then, we do something. Until then, work hard but not too hard, and be gay.

                        I have no news and this office is so depressing that I can think of nothing.

My Dear,
A so little note to wish you well on this – I hope – fine Saturday morning.   I shall be seeing you at lunch time and then to cricket, and may I be lucky enough not to have snorting difficult balls in the first over. Afterwards I don’t mind.

Your quick absorption of the art of driving amazes me, and is a further proof of your adaptability and general intelligence, which is a mild and constant wonder to me. We will repeat as soon as we can.

 Auntie wants us to go to London on Sunday, and the decision is with me.   I’m very worried and can’t make up my mind.   The run is nice for Mother, but its so damnably tiring, driving two hundred miles in the day.   It means I come back to Birmingham tired out, which is silly. Mother knows that and leaves it to me to decide and I have written to them asking them to go to Kettering, but I can’t bring myself to post the letters, because through my selfishness and laziness it means that Mother has all the work to do and Uncle all the driving.  But it is such a fag motoring all day, a Sunday, too. I don’t know. Life is difficult. That’s why I was not so enthusiastic about the second, a slack day doing nothing hard with a little drive and a walk at the end is such a blessed relief.

I’m getting on with Night Freight and if I can send old Eileen off early tonight I’ll have a late smash at it and see what can be done.   Ho, here’s Howard Marshall, with your leave, sweet lady. . . . .

Oh dear…Compton failed, Edrich a duck, Barnet failed, Hutton out…and only Hammond playing like a god.   Poor England, but anything might happen.

Bill arrived for lunch and I’d forgotten all about it!  Mrs. Pierce had some grand ham and broad beans for me, all ready and I had to leave this food for the Angels and go with Bill to the Tom Tom.   Shame. Mrs. Pierce was very accommodating about it.

Bill’s rashly bought a Triumph Gloria, rash because with two children and a home and a modest income he is an ass to fall for sheer show when his Austin 10 was quite efficient.    Save me from being so rash ever. I’ve learnt my lesson, bitter enough, of not over spending, if ever I get the chance to over-spend.

I shall be delighted when I hear of the alterations in the internal arrangements of your home.   It will have a deeply psychological effect for the good, to both parties, believe me.    A brief interlude of depression over the Oakfields is worth the longer and deeper content thereby to be gained.

Aint I a fool not to write more real stuff? It saddens me and the solution is so easy, just common sense and application.  Help me to get a move on, its your destiny. But be tactful, or I’ll feel all defensively furious at being bossed.   Difficult.   You can learn the way.

You are a quiet person really, but you must not get over-tired as you consistently do.   The real you wouldn’t get all flummoxed and grieved over the question of leaving or not leaving a pair of shoes in a car!  Would you? Of course not.

Until tomorrow then, and be patient with me, a queer soul, but one what means well.   I’m glad you think my back is straight, if my poor hair isn’t.

Greetings and kind regards,
Your…

The termination of the letter is a matter of censoring. Caution, and dislike of promiscuous reading.

                             Sorry I could not catch the post today. I had but little chance. I stayed at 53 until 4o/c, was L&S outside Man until 6o/c, & then the orchestra & the Post article kept me busy until I got home at 9.15, & then all post had gone. Please forgive me.

                        What a pleasant weekend. The hospitable Yorkshire folk are good hosts. Don’t worry about your imagined “rawness”, it was quite fictitious & anyhow a little trotting about will soon wash it away. But you are an ardent conversationalist aren’t you ! Never mind, so am I, when I get the chance. You were a great success anyhow up there & we’ll give you as much experience of the Middle class life as we can. It has its points for a change. But essentially it’s just the same. Anyhow I admire your dislike of muddle & the second-best. Sparkling silver & a tidy home make up for much in life. “Sweet order” is a Blessed virtue.

                        Am I frightened of you ? I think not. Perhaps it is that I’m such an absurd fadist for this restraint, for not wearing your heart upon your sleeve. I feel as much as anyone does, only I cherish the, probably false, idea that feelings controlled & kept secret, except for slight & occasional expositions grow deeper & stronger. But of course there are times . . . . It’s a sort of spiritual shyness. A bad wooer, me. I apologise, & hope that my fastidious & slightly ridiculous failing will be forgiven. Like not riding with the snaffle, or driving a car on the brakes or flat-out all the time. Mea culpa, probably maxima.

                             Talking of driving, you must have your second lesson on Thursday, after cricket, in some Lane. You will swiftly pick it up & it’s great fun, especially at first.

                        I hope you  this evening  my obstinate lack of enthusiasm. I sometimes  of it all when you are in your other & quasi – business world. Quite the wrong place for so nice a person as yourself, anyhow.

                        All that nonsense up above doesn’t signify anything, but you are a bit cracked, aren’t you ? In the nicest way, & grace à Dieu that it is so.

                        And now I’ll post this & go to bed. I called at the Brookes this evening for half an hour to raise a . They asked after you & Arnold wants to show you a film. All fairies & flowers !!!

Herewith the promised letter; maybe I’ll have the pleasure of seeing you between the present writing of it and the arrival of it tomorrow, for I may call round to give you a driving lesson this evening. Depends on events.  I am still flumoxed about myself and my method of fitting a routine to my needs, it must be elastic to a certain extent, and, as it were, compensatory, to be able to make up for unexpected inroads into my time.  Strangely alone I feel these days, sort of slightly stranded. A droll hallucination which you must cure.

                        It will be good to get away on Friday and to drive simply northwards to see Kenneth, quite an uncomplicated person for all his domestic worries. What did cause the dlsappeareance of that fiancee of his  ? And what manner of little house has he got in Bradley.

                        Your sewing efforts sound beautifully domestic.  I hope to come to see them this evening. Anf tomorrow evening I will come for a bite of supper. Meanwhile I have this script to do, and something worth while to start. Hence, I think, my restlessness, no magnus opus on the way. I must do so, and we must establish this little business. It is only some fluency of income which I need to set my heart at rest.

                        Such a little letter, but no more than a greeting.  A bientot, and my love to you…

305  ORPHANAGE ROAD
ERDINGTON
BIRMINGHAM
JUNE 13th. 1938

My Dear,   What a hot day, what a sunshiny day, what a gay day. And Australia just all out for 411. Both Arthur and I were over-optimistic. However. I have moved, in again, and have set out my trappings of work. Money-making is the thing, I must evolve a way. But once we get this little business started it will help, upsy-downsy, you know, but plums some times if we are lucky. This Scrutons order is only three guineas for me, but never the less, it will be useful to have odd three guineas from time to time, and with eight or nine such accounts we shall have a reserve of money, or better still a healthier and a happier M.C.D. Talking of them, I think poor E.W.E. is realising that I don’t go to the cottage because I don’t want to go !  It is sinking into his consciousness. I telephoned her this afternoon asking when we are doing anything and she wanted me to go over this evening, just for the evening, to which I replied kindly that I couldn’t spare the time but could give her a couple of hours if she came here which she won’t.  So stalemate, and what the hell about the next Fifteenth !! We’ll find an alternative cheque. Yo ho, its fun and exciting and dangerous and exillerating.

I have written to Kitandphyl, and handled the situation with the light touch.  Told them to get the brat a bat and a ball so that he can become familiar with these keys to happiness as the years pass.  Talking of cricket aren’t I a rotten one. Dreadful. I don’t know.

See you tomorrow at the Dairy at 8 ish the car will be there come here for a little while and then go early and I’ll do some novel, how’s that ?

Nice little note from Dr. or Sir Bashford. Cheery and brief I imagine he has spent the week-end writing them ! Such a bore being a knight. Shall we aquire such a title ? You’d look good in a coronet   if Knight’s ladies wore them which they don’t.

Have had a hair cut and have read some of the Elizabethan Journal and have done this and that. Getting into my stride.

You know, if you don’t clean your teeth of nights you’ll not have any at all in ten years and False teeth are grim, you have to walk about like a toothless hag for months, and think of the cost and the fuss of drawing out twenty eight teeth. Aren’t you dreadful, no system at all.

My oak tree is looking very odd, I am worried and would like to see a specialist. I am not going to lose it if I can help it,  I have treated it to much loving care and fresh water this afternoon and I have put some nice new soil on the pot, I am anxious.

Now for some masterpiece, and my love to you. Come up and see me sometime. And for now, bless you and cheerio. Sorry if I am dozy in the mornings, must be my bad habit of sleeping like a pig. I’m more intelligent when come from my shades of sleep gradually over half an hour. But it must have appeared like base ingratitude to pour the tea so lovingly prepared by you over the floor. I’m grateful really, and if I am an odd person, I persevere.

For now my love, here is Howard Marshall,

I fly,…Tomorrow at eight, and please THANK YOUR GOOD MOTHER FOR THE WEEK’S HOLIDAY I HAVE HAD AT HER HOUSE WHICH I ENJOYED VERY MUCH INDEED. I may appear to take it all for granted, but in reality I do appreciate this very open-handed hospitality.

So thank her for me, and have a gay day and come merry and bright to the Dairy at 7 – 8 o/c.

Ever thine. . .

                        In case my card to Romsey arrived after you left, here is another. I am not coming back to B’ham until Wednesday morning,  ̶  I’ll report at 53 for lunch at 1o/c. Mother has a desire to go to Wembley, so I’m taking the extra day off & am driving her up. Quack Quack on Saturday !! Played on, it was admittedly bad luck, everyone sympathised, even the enemy. We won a very close match by seven runs. Had one of my fancy catches  ̶  elbow grazer !

                        See you Wednesday then. Cheerio until then.

                        Written at Boston, Whit Monday, 1938   D

                     Dear, please forgive me for keeping Bertie another day. We have missed you so much & do hope Mother & you have had a nice holiday. I have enjoyed it. – Davids – Mother –