Wed. June 1

Margaret betted on Bois Rousselracehorse eds. 1/-1 shilling eds. each way ('Boy Russell' as the bookies called it) for the Derbythe Epsom Derby eds. & it won 20 to one.

I & Mrs I the charwoman lost 5/- Portmarnockracehorse eds..

Protocol with Laura for some hours but more energy expended in scaring up some money – managed from various agents & publishers to raise £370 – having hoped for perhaps £100.

At Mr Mills bought a green ivory egg vinaigrette 1/6d1 shilling, sixpence eds..

Len all afternoon with Laura: sweet & obstinate.

Reading Snarleyow Snarleyyow: or, the Dog Fiend by Frederick Marryat. London: H. Colburn, 1837. eds..

Thursday June 2

Two necklaces for 8d8 pence eds. down Church St: with which strung a small blue & brown lustre and a black Bristol glass necklace & a black Bristol with white glass*. Amended another one.

Dr. Barber anxious lest I have an obstruction in my bowel.

Went over Greeks & Trojans Act I Scene II with Laura, putting in account of costume etc.

Laura had 3 nerves removed from teeth.

Went round to see Harry & Alix

* for Margaret

Friday June 3

Margaret went to Norman today.

X-rayed by Dr. Hugh Davies

Apparently nothing wrong.

At Mr Mills got a Greek clay oil-lamp with dolph? eds. 2/-2 shillings eds.

In afternoon went into 15 shops with Honor to buy her a lamp stand – no good. Bought a copper-gilt chain for Laura's garnet purse 2/62 shillings, sixpence eds.. Tea with Laura & Len at Selfridge.

Sam came unannounced: had to be rescued from King's + by Karl.

Rang up Nancy: Catherine too coming unannounced but Nancy put her off.

Margaret to supper.

Sam stopped the night

Laura got little work done; I none.

Mary Lucy happy in Ireland again: John behaving.

Saturday June 4

W

Confirmed nothing wrong in bowel: obstruction due to 'incomplete elimination.'

Went with Sam looking for pram wheels – no luck.

Worked on Protocol – reading over Laura's version of 14 & 15. Read over L's pamphlet on Len Len Lye and the Problem of Popular Films eds. & made checks. * Pamphlet at last finished.

Made part of a small black & gold bead necklace.

The End of the World picture of John's came back reframed in the maple frame from Devonald (5/-5 shillings eds.)

Repaired frame of San Francisco scene with liquid wood & shoepolish.

Walk with Laura round St.John's Wood at night.

Whitsun Sunday June 5th

Deciding what to take to France, what to pack for Deyá. Gave a lot of stuff to Harry & Alix.

Finished necklace: did another small one in Wedgewood blue & gold.

Stomach still bad

Went over my poems with Laura, and Protocol

Whitmonday Monday June 6th

Stomach a little better

Cured it with brandy.

Worked from 9 to 1.30 am except for a 2 hour break with Laura, seeing Horsefeathers Horsefeathers (1932) eds.; a Marx Brothers film KG.

Going over Len pamphlet, my poems as questioned by Laura,

Took my burnousa mantle or cloak eds. to be made into a jacket.

Tuesday June 7th

Bought from Mr Mills: steel (1750) tray 10/-10 shillings eds. brass lucifer box 1850 1/-

From Violet HillWestminster eds. girl dark blue Bristol small jug, & silver lustre ditto 10/- the pair.

From old Mrs Howlett old buttons & things for 1/-

Len's pamphlet to printer.

Norman to supper & did Rimbaud with Laura.

Protocol later.

Wed. June 8th

Had proof copy of Laura's poems Collected Poems eds. bound in linen buckramby Sangorski & Sutcliffe KG. Had Justinian coin made into brooch.

Going over poems Collected Poems eds.: Section 2 now complete.

Protocol.

Thursday June 9th

Reading over Harry's book on Communism Left Heresy KG in typescript.

Packing started.

At Lillywhite'sdepartment store, Regent St. eds. bought jackets & ties (£5.10 or so)

Protocol till until late.

Friday June 10th

Phoning all day in all directions – Jane, Len, Cassell, Alan, Margaret, telegram to Rennes, Watt, Carlow, Liddell Hart etc.

* Protocol Finished, all but.

Ethel to supper & stopped night.

Stomach still queasy.

Reading over Harry Left Heresy eds. still.

Radcliffe Camera reframedsee also Diary entry 21 October, 1936; picture of the Radcliffe Camera building, Oxford eds..

Laura up to 3am working on Smuggler; last night to 5.15

Sat. June 11

Finished reading over Harry's book Left Heresy eds.

Alan went to Rennes.

Catherine Catherine Nicholson? eds. came and stopped night after a walk with Harry & me across the Park & going to the Ballet Joosnamed for German dancer, Kurt Joos eds. .

* Protocol finished at 1.30 am

Honor & Gordon came to tea & took away various gifts of the things we don't want for France or Deyá.

Sunday June 12

Copying out messy parts of Protocol for Karl to type.

Honor & Gordon in afternoon: Gordon took us in car to Hampstead ponds

All evening went over Harry's book Left Heresy eds. with him

A Canadiansee Log entry 16 June, 1938 eds. sent me a coin of ValensFlavius Valens, Roman Emporer, ruled (364-378) eds. (368)? found at CarthageSicilian city eds..

Monday June 13.

Phoning in all directions all day.

To Beck with Len pamphlet & Covenant Protocol.

To Mills & bought Ashantee Ashanti West African eds. brass box 7/67 shillings, sixpence eds., necklace clasp 1/-, Sheffield candlestick 2/-, frame for San Francisco picture 2dtwo pence eds, Justinian gold coin framed as brooch 10/- etc.

Karl refused Canada entry. The Flowers to dinner.

Talk of identifying people with works: of spiritualism; novels & sales etc. v. Nice people but.

Alan rang up from Rennes: liked it. White Bristol beads, large, from Mrs Howlett 9d.

Tuesday June 14th

Another day of phoning & writing about jobs for Karl.

Bought Gaiety Royal Box chairs for Ethel.

The afternoon: Winifred Holmes talking about Germany & her friend Elizabeth von JansteinAustrian author, poet and journalist (1893-1944) eds..

* Stella Reeves born

Hot weather. Packing

In Church St bought a Lower Congo 'mbichi' musical instrument for 2/62 shillings, sixpence eds., & 3 pinchbeck rings for 1/4 (1 to Winifred, 1 to Jane) & some marbles.

Read last chapter of Harry stuff. Laura doing Bottrall's poems, Harry's book – now done: 'The Left Heresy'.

Wed. June 15

Alan back from Rennes with chevriesthe local venison RPG & peaches from Anita.

Phoning & letters.

At Mr Mills bought silver ring 2/-2 shillings eds., witch ball (1750) china 4/- and from Sonia Waldman emerald ring £2.15.

Supper at Norman's: Len & Jane & 'Sandy' (Joyce Sanders) rum & pineapple cocktails. Margaret cooked for us.

Packing.

Have lost a great deal of weight: good.

Insurgents take CastellonCastellon de la Plana, Valencia, Spain.

Thursday June 16

Very late nights again

Laura finished Ward's Bells? not found. eds.

" " ditto Harry's book The Left Heresy. eds. last time over

I went to Lawrence trustees (Carlow & Eliot only) with Liddell Hart & in 3 hours cleared up all the points – rescued all the important excisions.

Went over them & incorporated them in the galleys.

Tuned the mbichi a Lower Congo musical instrument (see June 14th entry). eds.

Margaret here all day doing mending for us, and to supper.

Jenny phoned, complaining about money.

Friday June 17

Packing & jobs.

Montague & Dorothy & Alan lunched at Café Royal.

Letters.

Bought at LillywhiteLillywhite's department store, Regent St. eds. 2 sponge shirts

Alan did all the Cooks Cooks movers? eds. & Consulate work.

At night came Brian Bliss, Lucie & John's friend: about protocol. Laura asked how he could reconcile homosexuality with literal morality.

He had not worked it out; & wondered if he was wholly a homosexual.

As usual Laura worked till until 4 – going over other people's poems, chiefly.

Sat June 18th

Made a necklace for Lucie. (3 hours)

Bought in market two iron woman's-hands – one for self; an old crocheted chair-cover 2dtwo pence eds..

Transferred corrections to publisher's galleys (Lawrence book)

Decided with Laura on last part of The Smuggler. Laura went through part 3 of my Poems with me.

Harry came to go over poems with Laura & I went for a walk with Alix & talked over the progress of the last year.

Sun June 19th

Maisie called in her car at 10.30 and took Laura & me to Arkesden. Thousands of boy & girl cyclists all the way out until Bishop's Stortford; and traffic jams all the way back.

Maisie's withdrawal from Protocol makes relationship unreal & spoilt the day: Gordon being affected rather . John & Lucie there to tea, which was the nicest. Honor had beautifully shined up the house & Julian & I played for a long time on the lawn with marbles I gave him – his first. John & Lucie told how they had got a Father Walsh in for the hauntings, who was grateful: & perhaps Benlow's unsaid prayers may cause the hauntings.

Mon June 20th

Going over amendments of my poems Collected Poems eds..

Phoning all day – Alan, Maisie, Montagu, Watt, Sally, Margaret, Gordon, Len, etc

Dictionary prospects bright. with Little, Brown & Co.

My Mother Amy Graves eds. came in the evening in purple silk.

At Mr Mills bought a garnet bracelet for 6/-6 shillings eds.

Packing up: decided against taking any furniture silver or china to France.

Restoring flat to its original barbarity.

Tuesday June 21st

Packing.

Smuggler.

Len to lunch to discuss approach to financiers.

At Church St Market bought two looking-glass bedside lamps 12/612 shillings, sixpence eds. & 5/- for Deyá, and a cut-glass powder box for 6d pence eds..

Liddell Hart, to go over protocol: some few slight amendments of wording.

At night Harold Edwards & Olive Wallis: our first thoroughly good time with them.

They would like to employ Karl.*

Blue bristol bedroom lamp for Gordon

* at £1.10- a week; wonderful job KG

Wed June 22

Busy day. Packing.

Lawrence proofs, last attentions

Smuggler

Collected Poems crosscopying

Montague & Dorothy to dinner & goodbye to Len, Jane, Bridget (just engaged to Nevill James). Exchange of presents. Dorothy gave me a yellow glass mug (made of milk bottles) made as a first effort by BeckenhamBeckenham Art School, London eds. art students – it cost £75 to produce! Also a piece of 17th Cent. Century Venetian lace for Laura.

My Arabian burnousa mantle or cloak eds. made up into a magnificent jacket & waistcoat by G. Becker 41 Alma Square.

Enclosure – Letter from RG to Richard Church June 23rd, 1938 Dear Richard Church,

I am preparing my Collected Poems for publication in the Autumn with Mssrs Misters Cassell, and was going to include a poem called Largesse to the Poor written in 1930, first published in a limited edition To Whom Else? (Seizin Press) in 1931, reprinted in Poems 1930-1933 (Barker). Now I have just for the first time read your Secret Service in Gwendolen Murphy's Modern Poet anthologyChurch's poem "Secret Service" appeared on pp. 75-76 of this anthology, published in 1938. eds. and am so struck by the resemblance of the two that if it should happen that yours was published first I should consider it my duty to suppress mine in favour of yours. That both are irregular blank verse accentuates the points of verbal and metaphorical similarity: the discontented pilgrim getting a room at the guest-house, flinging away the bunch of keys from his pocket to those who are to occupy the places he has left. The solution of the poetic problem, of course, is different; but though it is perhaps a perfect coincidence, nobody who has read the two poems, (both of which have circulated widely , ) I am afraid) will, I am afraid, doubt that one of us has drawn from the other. A nd since I do not believe (as do many poets, W.H.Auden for instance) that poetry is the communal property of poets to be borrowed without acknowledgement , s each from each; I prefer, as I say, to suppress my poem unless it has the priority of publication.

Please regard this asi in all friendliness with nothing held back.

Yours sincerely, R.G

Thursday June 23

Went over proofs of Len pamphlet.

Packing.

Liddell Hart for Protocol and for Laura proof and proof corrections and goodbye.

Interview with MacintyreAfred R. Macintyre, president of Little, Brown & Co. eds. of Little Brown at Savoy Hotelthe Strand, London eds. (Laura & myself). All seems settled: points about printing expenses & methods outstanding. His wife provided dry martinis and a sentence about a red haired schoolmistress who denied the existence of synonyms.

Catherine & Norman goodbye – Norman with a £100 rise. – Catherine gave us a Russian enamel salt cellar 1877.

Packing all evening after they went

Jenny has definitely got a job at Liverpool Rep Repertory Liverpool Repertory Theatre eds..

Friday June 24

Southern Railway men, packing for storage. Took all away.

Lunch with Jenny & David at Cervantes restaurant. with huge Arroz Valencianarice cooked Valencia-style i.e. like a paella eds. Then goodbye from them to Laura who was at Café Royal with Gordon – who has just got a job on Radio Timesshow on BBC Radio eds. at £550. Our goodbye to Mr Mills – a 10 pointed crystal Georgian star 10/-10 shillings eds.. To Liddell Hart to clear up a few points in his T.E. proofs. Sally came for Goodbye & talked about History with Laura. Roz's goodbye – a new practise in prospect in Beaconsfieldcity north west of London eds.. Richard's goodbye, fetched Sally from the flat.

Letters about Karl & Harold to Sir E. Holderness.? eds.

Enclosure – Page out of calendar for Sam's school

[Calendar page for St. Christopher's School, 19-25 June, 1938; Handwritten entries include performance date of As You LIke It and Parents' day]

Sat June 25th

Flat back in original condition.

To St. Christopher's School Letchworth to see Sam on Parents' Day. John took A.G. Jenny & me in car. Rather a Peace Pledge & eyewash atmosphere but nice children & nice grounds. Turned a picture of KrishnamurtiJ. Krishnamurti (1895-1986) Indian religious teacher eds. back to wall, found a lost wedding ring – Rosalind's in As You Like ItShakespearean comedy eds. – heard Mr. Baddeley ex-BedalesBedales independent schools eds. talk almost inaudibly – dreary story of blue bottle in Magic lantern. Goodbye to John, Jenny, A.G. Dinner to the French Pleven's, 11 Grosvenor CrescentWestminster eds.. He is Breton, Unanimiste, sells telephones. She is small witchlike unpleasant. Excellent food & cuisine. Also Joan EvansDame Joan Evans, (1893-1977), British scholar and author eds. there, an expert on jewelry – also has written a psychological book about taste Taste and Temperament published 1939 eds.. Difficult & even hostile evening

Laura up to all hours writing letters for Len & how to deliver them.

Sunday June 26th

Smuggler

Leonard & Margaret to lunch. Leonard in sailor costume & vernacular. We He & I played battles with paper darts & I taught him a paper folding trick I re-learned yesterday at Sam's school from a Col Colonel Wimperis.

Tea at Dorothy Hutchinson's where Wanda's shriekings got on my nerves.

To the Pearsons at 7A Ellerdale Road N.W. North Way 3Camden eds. to supper, where we met Ronald & Frances McCall, Montreal people, whom we found very good & who came around after & talked till until nearly 2 o'clock.

A new word arose 'Gradek' (from a German psychologistsee Diary entry 11 July 1938 KG she believed in – or thought she still did) for something that nice people think nice from old old generous ignorance that really isn't.

Monday June 27th

* Sent off Lawrence proofs at last.

* Finished my part of Smuggler.

Drafting prelim. preliminary questions for Protocol use.

Bought opal ring at Sonia Waldman's for 30/-30 shillings eds.

John & Lucie goodbye: John brought the 'Solace' round painting on glass for us.

Honor & Gordon. Honor stopped the night.

Rejected the Pleven's introduction to Rennes people, as incorrectly phrased in regard to us.

Tuesday June 28th

Dorothy to lunch.

Goodbye to Ward in nursing home (appendix) at Earl's Court, Maisie in bed at Baker St. (pleurisy) Harry & Alix at night. Supper with Dorothy at Bijon Restaurant, Earl's Court .

* Laura finished Smuggler scenario.

* Ian Parsonseditor and director [of Chatto & Windus] KG, startled by lowness of Beck estimate, agreed subject to approval of fellow Chatto & Windus directors to print World & Ourselves if L paid half production costs (£150)

Pleven sent revised introductions.

Alix sells her cheese Gervais KG business tomorrow.

A 53Number 53 KG bus-driver undercharged L and me out of pure friendship & memory of Sam.

Very windy night.

Protocol proofs till until late.

A great run of luck for all our friends in the last ten days or so.

Gordon: job on Radio times BBC eds. Norman: a rise Bridget: engaged. Karl: job with Harold Edwards James & Mary: girl Laura: publisher for World and Ourselves & dictionary self: wind up of the T.E. business Beryl: £10 from her rich father Jenny: £5 a week job in Rep.Liverpool Repertory Theatre eds.

Wednesday June 29th

Packing last things

Finished Protocol proof just in time.

Waterloo 4.45. Stopped at Southampton for dinner with Violet & Walter McCormack at the restaurant opposite the Dolphin. Then by * S.S.DinardFrench merchant ship eds. to St Malo. Took Naviganseasickness medicine eds. and several brandies: was not sick nor was Alan. Beryl & Laura were; though they had bunks & we not.

Log Entries of Letters for June, 1938 Letters

June 1

A.G. about cottage; Anita; Short; Vyvyan Richards. Barker for money.

2.

F. RoddFrancis James Rennell Rodd? second Baron Rennell (1895-1978), merchant banker and geographer eds.. Bank with cheques. Snaith Bookseller(Library Review). Barker again.

3

N.N. with cheque. Nancy by Sam. Duckworth (Horder); Flower (about Coll.Poems)

8.

O.K. about Swiss Ghost; Morison (about historical novels terms ); Ethel; CN.

9

Tweedsmuir.

10

Catherine N.

12

Cheques to Bank

14.

A.G. ; Bank with Cheque; Ethel about chairs; brooch to Catherine Vandervelde; cheques to Barber. Ethel about Karl.

15

Nancy about Karl; Watt with Albatross contract; Times Book Club. Kitty; Bridget; McCormacks

16.

Bank with cheque. Carter (Vancouver) thanking for coinsee Diary entry 12 June, 1938 eds.. David.

17.

Eliot about Curzon storyi.e. Lord Curzon & the Lancers; see also June 18, 1936 eds., W.P.Watt with photo, Roz, Angrid ?.

18.

Tom. Schwartz. Heath about List contract.

19

Anita

June 20

David. Sam. Sam's schoolSt. Christopher's, Letchworth eds..

21

Henry TiarksHenry Frederic Tiarks? (1900-1995), merchant banker eds. about Len.

22

Offner with cheque.

23

Church. Dawnay.

24.

Sir E. Holderness about Karl.

25.

Winston Churchill.

26

Watt about with proofs.

28.

Nancy, Dawnay, Eliot, Morley, Bank with cheque.

29.

Wink (Dutch translation)

Thursday June 30th

Arrived 5.30 St Malo. Juan Vives met us in car & took us to Rennes where we put up at Hotel Central.

Crayfish, winkles (for first time) and very good food otherwise.

Saw two magpies on the road to Rennes.

Anita wept on seeing us.

We went to see a flat no 21 Rue Gurnant & took it: only changing paper of one room. We 'bought' furniture from him, because he mustn't rent a furnished room. Alan & Beryl also got a flat in 103 Rue Nantes.

Spent a long time wandering round the streets: a lovely town.