The Letters of T. S. Eliot, Volume 1: 1898-1922 (52 page)

1–The 1918–19 influenza epidemic killed some 20 million people worldwide.

2–On 4 July, the US Navy had defeated the US Army at Stamford Bridge in front of 38,000 spectators, including King George V and the Prime Minister, Lloyd George.

MS
Houghton

28 July 1918

[Marlow]

My dearest Mother,

I have a nice letter from you dated the 8th July, nineteen days en route – the first for some time. This will be your first from me for some time, as I have not written for nearly a fortnight. The fortnight before I had two letters from you. Perhaps another one will come on Monday. This is wretched paper but paper is very dear now.

Our weather has been constant rain for a month after a long drought. The crops and gardens have certainly benefited by it, but now we are ready for a little hot sun. The gardens of Marlow are brilliant with hollyhocks now, which start after the foxgloves and lupins and larkspur are over. In England there is continuous bloom, one flower to another, from March nearly to December.

Vivien has not been well ever since she went to the dentist. She was not very well then, but there was a piece of work I thought ought to be done. The dentist put his filling too close to the nerve and she [has] had very bad attacks of pain ever since. Then an abscess developed. She has managed to keep it down by being quiet, resting and two days in bed; I hope it will pass off, but one is never sure. I think a week at Bosham would do her much good, and if father sends the money I think we can do it. Last year it put her into shape for the winter, but this has been a much more trying winter than last. I do not know just how long we can stay here, so you had better write always
to the bank
(Lloyds Bank Ltd., 17 Cornhill,
E.C.
3) as I said. 

We have had two interruptions since I wrote –Maurice came back from Italy for a few days, and Harold Peters came for a day. Maurice is pretty well, and in a fairly comfortable and not very dangerous position at present, and we hope he will stay there. I think the war is wearing on him very much – he has had so much of it, and soldiering. I hope it will not injure him for after life; but there is no gaiety in him now. Peters’ ship was at a port some distance from London and he managed to get a day off and fly up to see me. He seemed not much changed, except matured by responsibility and authority; was just as nice as ever, and he and Vivien liked each other very much indeed.

I have not seen anything about the Treaty you refer to. Please keep me posted if you see anything but put it on a separate sheet of paper, writing to the Bank. Vivien worries a great deal about me (and I about her, and also about the
financial
aspect
of it). The difficulties of living go on increasing every day as it is.

I shall want always to know how you and father are standing the St Louis summer.

Your devoted son
Tom

MS
Cornell

Monday [29 July? 1918]

from 3 Compayne Gdns
N.W.6

Dear Lewis,

I want to get at Lady Cunard
¹
at once if she is in town. I have been having a row with the Navy here and I want to see Admiral Sims personally if there is any human means.
²

Can you take me to see her immediately? I believe she knows the Admiral.

I’ll call in at Hatfield House
³
first thing tomorrow. If you go out first will you leave a note to tell me where and when I can find you?

This accounts for my total disappearance for some weeks. I came in however on the afternoon convened – no one in.

Yours
Eliot

1–Lady Cunard (1872–1948), née Maude Burke, American-born London hostess.

2–Vice-Admiral William S. Sims (1858–1936), Commander of US Naval Forces in Europe. TSE was applying to join the US Navy, a process that took centre stage inthe coming months.

3–WL’s studio was at 1 Hatfield House, Great Titchfield Street, London
W.1.

MS
Texas

4 August 1918

31 West St, Marlow, Bucks

Dear Mrs Hutchinson

Thanks awfully for your letter and wire which arrived about the same time. I only discovered or realised afterwards that in my haste and excitement I had failed to send mine reply paid, which was very rude of me.

I don’t know whether Jack is coming up to town on Tuesday or not. If he is, I should like to know how I could get him by telephone. (I shall be at Lloyds Bank as usual). If not, would you tell him that I should be very grateful if he would write to his friend the secretary for me? I intend, as you suggest, to have my medical board as soon as possible, and hope to be graded low.

I have one or two other strings out, but they do not seem very promising chances. I am very grateful indeed to you both for your kindness. I should have liked to come down very much, but feel that I ought to stay here on the spot. I will let you know the result of [the] board.

Sincerely yours
T. S. E.

MS
Cornell

5 August 1918

[Marlow]

Dear Lewis,

I have been trying to get hold of you but have so far failed. Am trying to get into U.S. Navy as I find there are one or two possibilities there. This must be settled within next few days.
Could you phone Osbert
,
¹
who will explain the situation? He has been seeing Lady Cunard and will see her again.

Yours in haste
T. S. Eliot

He is at Kings Guards [Telephone:] Regent 3753 this p.m. but not, I think, this evening.

1–Osbert Sitwell was helping to gather testimonials in support of TSE’s effort to join the Intelligence Corps.

MS
Cornell

11 August 1918

31 West St, Marlow

Dear Lewis,

I am going to see Schick
¹
in the morning, and I am not going to the bank at all, as I want to get my physical examination tomorrow if possible. I must therefore communicate with you in some other way than arranged.
I will come to Hatfield House about ten:
would you just
leave a note on the door
to say when and where I can find you or ring you up in the afternoon? I can come to Hatfield House or your Studio (I think I can find it) or wherever you say. This is rather a nuisance, I am afraid, but I do not see any other way.

Yours ever
T.S.E.

1–Lt. Col. Jacob Schick (1878–1934) was in charge of the Division of Intelligence and Criminal Investigation of the US Navy in London. After the war, he was the inventor of the ‘dry razor’, or Schick safety razor.

MS
Texas

15 August 1918

17 Cornhill, e.c.3

Thank you very much for two letters and the wire. I went to see Gunther today, but did not get much help that way, as he did not put me on to anything new or offer his support in any way. At present I am waiting to hear from Col. Schick as to whether there is any chance in the quartermasters corps. The navy seems to be impossible unless the Admiral and Chief of Staff will wire to Washington for permission to give another commission. So I am not very hopeful.

I will let you know of progress, if any – meanwhile, thank you again.

I find it quite impossible to do any work under these conditions.

Sincerely
T. S. Eliot

MS
Texas

[Postmark 18 August 1918]

Marlow

Dear Mary,

You may have heard or seen by the time you get this that all Americans here are called up, and within eight weeks time must either have gone to America
to enlist
, or be enlisted here presumably as privates. It has come very suddenly, and Tom is – well you know. He would have written, but is rushing about to the embassy etc. I said I wd. write for him.
Can you
You know we have no influence here, American, or English political. Do you think yr. husband could give him any useful introduction, or any help?
Or can you?
I mean to get him into a job
here
– propaganda, or something. If he goes to America he will not be able to come back while the war lasts. That means years. If he stays here he will be killed, or as good as. If we don’t save him he’ll never write again. You know how bitter he is
now
. Will you be a friend and communicate at once and with anyone you think cld. help? Get at Tom at the
Bank
—it’s quicker. (
17
Cornhill
,
E.C.3.
[Telephone:]
Avenue
6430).

Tom says please do not let this get round to Ottoline – this is important. Will explain later. Do do
something
,
please
.

Yrs.
V. E.

MS
Texas

Wednesday [21 August 1918]

Marlow

Thank you ever so much for your wire which came this morning. I wired the contents to Tom (at the Bank) and in reply received this.
Where
he has wired to ‘Jack’ I do not know! Because he doesn’t know where the Jowitts are and I said in the wire that Jack was with them (for that is what
you
said, isn’t it!?) I am so grateful for what you’ve done. This about Gunther seems really useful. We knew of Gunther before – Ezra approached him but could do nothing (but he thought he was nice). I am too restless and unhappy to write much. It was as a shock to both of us that Tom was graded so high in the Medical exam. I did not realise until then how much I had
counted
on his being passed quite
UNFIT
. I can’t understand it. He took a very strong certificate from our doctor, and he had been
fearfully
ill over the weekend so that he was
obviously
in a
wretched state. Nothing gets settled
¹
but people are being awfully good, the Sitwells and Lewis especially, really
doing
things, and now you! But it is much more difficult than we supposed. I really have not any confidence. There is a lot for me to do, but I forgot to tell you I am ill (I mean I went to a specialist
just
before this happened, as I was getting iller and iller all the summer) he gave me a lot of fearful directions and I am supposed to be under treatment but of course now I don’t make the slightest attempt to do any of it. But I only mean that I ought to be up in town
every
day and all day I feel and I
can’t
manage it more than around twice a week.

Tom is
fearfully
vague, and one can never trust him to be worldly wise and to say the [required?] thing or suppress the unfortunate truth, or to see what a person is getting at. I
write
out
what he is to say under every conceivable situation, but it always happens that some unexpected twist occurs which throws him off balance for the entire interview!

I have just read Clive Bell’s thing in the
Nation
.
²
I was immensely thrilled at it. That’s the sort of being [?] that I surely cannot scorn. I like everything he says so much that I shall be his disciple in life! The unknown disciple.
³

Did you read
Tarr
?
⁴
How Lewis does terrify me. Please get Jack to do his
utmost
and do wire him that nothing is any nearer settled than when I first wrote and
anything
either of you can do …

Bosham is probably off, but if we come it will be
between
Sep. 7 – 20th. We have
let
this house for the middle of Sept. at a good rent! The only bright spot!

1–The manuscript from here is in pencil and hard to decipher.

2–Clive Bell (1881–1964), art critic; husband of Vanessa Bell (1879–1961) and lover of the Eliots’ friend MH; author of
Art
(1914). Bell wrote in a published letter (
N
., 10 Aug.): ‘The Liberal and Conservative parties are dead. They perished with that old aristocratic civilization which received its death-blow with the war … henceforth the Labour Party is the Gentleman’s Party.’

3–
The Nation
was running a series of ‘Letters from an Unknown Disciple’.

4–WL’s
Tarr
(Egoist Press, 1918) was reviewed in the same issue of the
Nation
. TSE reviewed it for the
Egoist
, which had also serialised it.