The Letters of T. S. Eliot, Volume 1: 1898-1922 (64 page)

1–The Eliots moved out of Crawford Mansions while their flat was being decorated.

MS
Beinecke

Wednesday [7 May 1919]

Hotel Constance

Having no ink
Dear Brigit

This week has been a fiasco altogether – here is the sixth letter I have written (to say nothing of a wire and any number of telephone calls) about
apparently a very simple matter, and all for nothing. The only thing to do is to start quite afresh. Please don’t consider us hopeless and please be kind – we tried hard!

If you will be gracious will
Tuesday
do? Don’t say you are leaving town at once.

I have got hold of my man finally, and he can come on Tuesday.

Sincerely
T.S.E.

You will be thinking that it is
I
who am muddleheaded. However, I prefer to argue the point of your neutral state later, if the chance offers. I stick to the point that it is fundamentally a question of mental laziness.
¹

1–Patmore records that while dining with the Eliots and the Hutchinsons, she had murmured ‘Melancthon’ while beginning her melon. When TSE asked ‘What do you know of Melancthon? … Why drag him in?’, she replied she was ‘Just playing with words. We Irish all do it. Joyce didn’t begin it.’ To which TSE responded: ‘Do you know what you are? … You’re mentally lazy’ (
My Friends When Young
[1968], 87).

MS
Texas  

Thursday [8 May? 1919]
¹

39 Inverness Terrace,
W.2
 

Mary,  

What are we to do about this? You know what you were telling me on Sunday? Well, since then I have found out that Tom has for a long time been very much worried, puzzled, and
annoyed
at the Woolfs’ behaviour about his poems which they were, as you know, printing. It seems that when we went to dine there, which was
about a month ago
[Sunday, 6 April], the poems were all finished, and Tom was asked to choose the cover. I remember we
did
choose the cover. They then asked Tom for a list of people’s addresses for them to send out a circular to, about the book. Tom made the list, and wrote a letter (very nice) with it. Well, that is quite three weeks ago. Since then he has never heard a word, and we know that
no one
has received a circular about the book. This is very awkward for several reasons. One being that he gave them several poems to print which are
not
published elsewhere, and has been counting on this book of the Woolfs’ for showing them. I
mean,
certain people are
asking
to see these poems in order to publish them, and Tom has been waiting and waiting for this Woolf book, to show them.

Now Mary, do you think that, out of revenge,
²
the W.’s are actually going to shelve the whole of those books of Tom’s which they have printed? If they do, what a humiliation for Tom! Because
of
course
a great many people
knew
that the Woolfs were printing his poems. Now I think the
whole thing
is sure to come out, because I believe Tom actually wrote to Leonard Woolf last night, about it. I feel awful. I do not know what to do. But I feel very unhappy and angry. I almost wish that Tom would get out of this country altogether, and he will too, if this sort of thing goes on. If a man is sensitive, and an artist, he can’t stand these people – I can’t say more. But we will talk when I come. Will you please now suggest what is to be done? Because if the Woolfs are really going to do as I say, and throw up Tom’s book, I really believe I shall go there and have it out with them. Yet,
if I did,
I believe that Tom would never speak to me again. He would
hate
me. He hates and loathes all sordid quarrelling and gossiping and intrigue and jealousy,
so much,
that I have seen him go white and
be ill
at any manifestation of it.

Joyce is lucky to be out of it. Wise man.

Pound was ruined by it. See what he has become. A laughing stock.
³
And his work all bad. Only a person of coarse fibre, a Wyndham Lewis,
can
stick it and remain undamaged.

If I were you Mary I would write to Tom and tell him what happened.

Do not
attempt
to say anything more to Clive. If you do the whole matter will end in a complete estrangement between us,
I know it.
Leave Clive
out of it.
Do not let him know that his conversation has had any results. If you do not do what I say
about this
– I will never be a friend of yours again. I will not.

Goodbye dear Mary I am not angry with
you
, but I am very much worried.

Write to me please Mary dear

[unsigned] 

1–Dated 1 May 1919 in the first edition of these
Letters
.

2–VW  wrote to her sister Vanessa Bell on 4 Apr.: ‘By the way, Mary rang me up yesterday in great agitation about Eliot, imploring me to say nothing, denying the whole story, and insisting that he only abused Bloomsbury in general, and not me, and that Clive had completely misunderstood!’ (
Letters
, II, 344). Clive Bell was MH’s lover. Still suspecting a personal attack, VW began to disparage the Eliots. See also TSE to Eleanor Hinkley, 17 June 1919.

3–VW had written to Roger Fry (18 Nov. 1918), decrying TSE’s cult of EP and WL: ‘Not that I’ve read more than 10 words by Ezra Pound by [
sic
] my conviction of his humbug is unalterable’ (
Letters
, II, 296).

MS
Texas  

Saturday [10 May 1919]

[en route to Garsington]  

Here I am in the train going to Garsington.
¹
It is very hot. I don’t know how I feel, I have suspended my feelings until I get there. I got your lovely long letter this morning. You were quite right because Woolf did answer T’s letter, and sent him the copy of the poems which T. had asked him for (to send to a man called Schiff
²
– have you heard of him? the Sitwells’ ‘Holy Ghost’) Woolf wrote very curtly – I saw the letter. It could not have been curter. He said they had lost the list of names T. had sent them, and would T. send another. I really always rather hate a man who takes up his wife’s feuds, don’t you?  

So that’s where we are at present. I shall certainly keep you posted. Also tell you about this weekend. Everyone seems to be hanging on my experiences at G! I have an appointment with Edith [Sitwell] at 4 o’clock on Monday to give her my report.  

I believe we are actually going to bring Jack [St John Hutchinson] and ‘Brigit’ together on Tuesday night. Last time it did not come off.  

You interest me about Virginia and Ottoline. I am going to throw out a few feelers while I am at G. [and] try to trap O into saying something to V’s disadvantage.
³
I like to go about collecting evidence, which I may not use for years perhaps never.  

Dear Mary – I cannot leave town until I go to Bosham. I have so much to be here for and if it were not for you I should never dream of going away in June at all. But we must have all the joys you write of while I am there, (between June 12 and July 12).  

But I think, Mary, that if you were to ask Tom to come to you for Whitsun, he would. In fact I am nearly sure.  

With a great deal of love  

Vivien

1–TSE and VHE signed the Visitors’ Book on 11 May 1919; Lytton Strachey was there too. According to Miranda Seymour (
Life on the Grand Scale: Lady Ottoline Morrell,
1993), it was at this time that OM added VHE to the list of women she liked best.

2–Sydney Schiff, patron of the arts, and, writing as ‘Stephen Hudson’, novelist and translator: see Glossary of Names.

3–Ironically, VW records that during the following week, she and OM‘talked personalities; investigated the case of Mary Hutch. & Eliot’ (
Diary,
I, 272).

TS
Beinecke  

Monday [12 May 1919]

23 Lancaster Gate,
W.2
 

Dear Brigit,  

You are to be at the place previously selected – the Restaurant Espagnol in Dean Street Soho OPPOSITE the ROYALTY theatre at 7 o’clock or
not later
than 7.15 tomorrow
Tuesday
(the day you get this note) in order to dine and go to the Alhambra.
¹
 

What you say about mental paralysis is nonsense. It [is] a very poor excuse for not thinking any more about the matter. You are lazier than I supposed.  

Yours etc
T.S.E.

1–Together with the Hutchinsons they saw
Carnaval, The Firebird
and
T
he Good-Humoured Ladies
, performed by Diaghilev’s Company, with Léonide Massine and Lydia Lopokova. Brigit Patmore had been invited to make up for her missing their planned trip the previous week.

MS
Texas

Monday [12 May 1919]

39 Inverness Terrace,
W.2

My dear Lady Ottoline

The weekend [at Garsington] was so perfect that when I woke up this morning I couldn’t believe it had happened. I shan’t try to thank you, it would be hopeless. But you were too wonderful. We were both frightfully happy.

You know how rather frightened one feels after having talked unreservedly about a person. About Bertie, you know he was
extraordinarily generous
to me, I mean in
giving
things.
¹
So much so that it will always make me feel very mean for talking against him. I know you understand perfectly. But I think he was more generous to me than he has ever been to anyone. He really made a sacrifice. I shall never forget that, and it makes a lot of difference to
everything.
I have really suffered awfully in the complete collapse of our relationship, for I
was
fond of Bertie (I think I still am). But it is of course
hopeless
, I shall never try to see him again. For the rest, I shall tell everyone who asks me, that we did not mention them at all! It is much the best way! No one believes it, but that doesn’t matter. It would be so delightful to have someone to whom one
could talk quite freely without any fear. Don’t you think so? It is so bad for me to be always cautious and mistrustful. I think one often gossips in
self-defence
, knowing the other person will. But I shall not feel that way about you, if you won’t about me?

If you come to London you will see me, won’t you? This letter is from Tom too, as he has a week of fearful over-work ahead of him. He was so happy at Garsington! I know all the signs. You asked
just
the right people. The weather too! (and look at it now!)With love and ever so many thanks from us both —

Yrs. ever
Vivien Eliot

MS
Beinecke

Wednesday [14 May 1919]

Hotel Constance,
23 Lancaster Gate,
W.2

Dear Brigit

I have been trying again and again to ring you up, but have found it quite hopeless. I felt that I could not rest until I had spoken to you about last night: I want to apologise to you for letting you go off that way alone. I feel terribly cut up about it, because I had rather it had been anyone in the world but you, and I wish I could hope to make clear that the cause is wholly that I lose my head completely on such occasions, and invariably do exactly the thing I should want not to do. From a purely selfish point of view the worst of it is that your opinion means so much to me.

Nearly the whole evening was a disappointment: I, at least, had looked forward to it very keenly. I won’t say it was all a disappointment, but it was inadequate – and a good deal was jarring.

It would be easier to write this if I had been able to speak to you on the telephone first. It seems merely impertinent to keep repeating how unhappy I feel about it. I simply want to beg for a line from you: I want anything rather than suspense. Of course I shall in any case feel very miserable until I see you again and can talk to you. Please, let me hear from you, but what I really want is that you should consent to dine with me perhaps next week – simply out of tolerance – because I cannot bear leaving anything in the air.

Yours
Tom.
¹

1–Patmore recalls in her memoirs that while they were waiting at the restaurant for the Hutchinsons, ‘there was a queer feeling of nervousness in Tom. He said what unusual people they were, how exclusive, how supremely cultured. Suddenly I wondered if he thought I might disgrace them by some outrageous behaviour … However, all went well at dinner and at the theatre too, until I blotted my copybook by saying I liked Tchaikovsky’s music. That was
not
done in those days, but it didn’t depress me and when it was time to go, I said goodnight and went home quite happily’ (
My Friends when Young,
87). She goes on to describe receiving this letter from TSE, with its ‘worried and self-accusatory apologies’, and wondering ‘Heavens, what did it matter! … In what kind of state can his nerves be?’