Title Page – Jan 1st 1939

La Chevrie Montauban de Bretagne

Laura Self Alan Beryl Dorothy (Leonie & Marie)

Enclosure – Note by RG

dispassionassionate

Alan: rather champagned, wrote out 'dispassionate' for dictionary dittographically at 11.30 pm Dec. 31st

Jan 1st Sunday

We talked late: but I got up at 8.30, the champagne having been good, feeling all right.

Dictionary with Alan

Finished draft of last chapter of * Swiss Ghost

Spring weather.

The Levriels came to wish us a Bonne AnneeHappy New Year eds. & brought us a chocolate cake in the form of a book called 'Histoire de Montauban ' The Story of Montauban eds.

Laura doing the HerodsKing Herod and his wife Mariamne? For Part III of Lives of Wives eds. with great difficulty.

Photograph of La Chevrie

Photograph of Laura Riding

Jan 2 Monday

Dictionary

An idle day – I read some of Mungo Park's Travels Travels in the interior districts of Africa by Mungo Park. London: J. Murray, 1816. eds. and of Dr. Dunn's War the Infantry Knew The War the Infantry Knew, 1914-1919 by J.C. Dunn. London: P.S. King & Son Ltd., 1938, 1987. eds..

Beryl's hedgehog disturbed Leonie, in the next door attic, by scratching so she put it in the stable in the grandfather clock. It escaped in the night.

Jan 3 Tuesday

Dictionary

Letters.

Hedgehog gone. for good.

Time came with a daring review Nine and Two eds. of L's Collected Poems by Tom & Schuyler Jackson

Laura says Dorothy's sculpture is a success at last.

Beryl's hedgehog when it wakes up from its interrupted hibernation will say: 'I had the craziest dream – something about bread and milk and a typewriter and a grandfather clock.'

Jan 4 Wednesday.

Postman came with Calendars

Went in car to Montauban to ask Doctor about Leonie: he was reassuring. Played Russian billiards with Alan: a 690 break.

Chill on stomach.

Haircut.

John & Lucie sent cut-out pictures to us and Lucie sent me a tie, & John a basket-of-flowers drawing for Laura who does not like baskets –

Some loose talk about Germany in Balkans & her need of grain lands. Someone said Germany should be given VeniceItaly eds. there and I said she could only grow water-cress there which everyone thought funnier than I did.

Jan 5 Thursday

Dictionary. Letters.

Beryl & Alan went to Rennes – Beryl for Dentist.

Léonie brought her little tough Breton girl, Lucienne, who played with Laura's toys and is 5 tomorrow.

Laura busy on other things (David's, Harry's work) & behind hand with Herodfor Lives of Wives eds..

Walked around lake – brimfull, with house reflected in it and strong winter colours.

Our g car bill came to 2000 fr francs with tip (about £12) more than half of it the Paris trip.

X Govt Government counter-attack in EstremaduraPortugal eds..

Jan 6 Friday

Dictionary (F)i.e. the letter 'F' eds.

Reading The War the Infantry Knew The War the Infantry Knew, 1914-1919 by J.C. Dunn. London: P.S. King & Son Ltd., 1938, 1987. eds.

Second draft of a poem about love and Africa The Love Beast RPG 295-6.

To Montauban on bike: first time for several weeks: Russian billiards

Laura going on with Herodsfor Lives of Wives eds..

She wrote a letter to Chamberlain.

A crop of jokes about Massa Montague & his negroes. It started some months ago when he was here: he heard some singing at night & the Commisclerks eds. at the farm – & said it sounded like negroes.

Stripped Xmas Christmas tree: made a club out of mistletoe bough.

Jan 7 Sat.

Dictionary. Got a swollen knee.

Montague arrived. Brought presents from Mr. Mills: a silver sealing-wax (early Georgian)-holder with emerald seal at one end QUATUOR OPTIMA Four of the Best KG with a cock on a cock of hay beside a water-cock and a match-lock cock? and on the other a silver seal with a prophet, an angel & the name Isaac Low Beer. Also beads; steel earrings for Laura & the marbles from Mary Fuller – rather dull ones. Gave some of them to Lucienne.

A cake for Montague with his name on. He had trouble at the customs bringing in a block of mahogany for Dorothy. The Massa Montague legend got added to: he tried to get his buggy with the red spoked wheels past the Frenchie customs & they said 'Massa Montague, what am dose red-spoked wheels? Ain't dey revolutionary contraband?' Massa Montague he said: No, no, Mr. Customsman, dem's only red-spoked wheels.

Jan 8 Sunday.

Dictionary.

Knee still puffy, so stayed in.

Made two necklaces & two bracelets from Montague's beads, Dorothy helping.

Laura on Herodsfor Lives of Wives eds..

David sent specimen model of universal jointed chair.

Cooked bacon (with eggs & tomatoes) brought by Montague from London and Coopers marmaladeEnglish brand name Frank Cooper's marmalade eds. & English cigarettes for Laura.

Jan 9 Monday

Laura not well, stayed in bed all morning.

Another two or three drafts of the poem The Love Beast eds. which has been going on for three days: shortening, lengthening, shortening.

Beryl taught Montague Cambeluk. He has brought a quoit-board & a dart-board and a cake from Dorothy's mother.

Laura went for one of her rare walks, with Dorothy to lake.

Jan 10 Tuesday

Laura, feeling faint & bilious, stayed in bed till until 3 o'clock.

Finished poem – We Once , , The Love Beast, in 7 lines, three more drafts.

Still reading Dunn's book The War the Infantry Knew, 1914-1919 by J.C. Dunn. London: P.S. King & Son Ltd., 1938, 1987. eds.

Did not go at out; knee all but well.

Three drafts of a five-line poem about a hostage Hostage RPG 296

Chamberlain & HalifaxEdward Wood, Lord Halifax (1881-1959) eds. go to Rome by way of Paris

Jan 11 Friday Wednesday

At 2 am Laura's cricket suddenly appeared on her mantlepiece, from a crack in the panelling, and ate some bread we gave it with enjoyment.

* Laura finished going over David's Furniture book.

Dictionary – 15 pp pages of Gi.e. the letter 'G' eds..

Four more drafts of the Love Beast and one of The Hostage

Bicycled to the village for news and russian Russian billiards: Alan & I are much improved (about 1600 a time each). (20 breaks)

Laura wrote a letter, after consultation with all of us, to Protocol endorsers: about active friendship.

Enclosure – Letter to RG from Ros Graves

from Dr. Rosaleen Graves 177 Junction Road, N.19.

ARChway 1480

13.1.39 Darling Robert

You'll be wondering why I haven't thanked you long ago for your Poems – which were (or was?) my nicest Xmas present – far & away. It's fun finding ancient friends & unknown ones in the same volume.

Thank you very much indeed, my dear, for sending it to me.

The reason (as you may possibly have guessed) is that your prophecy about Jim's making a kind of reconciliation came true – & in spite of what you say, I'm taking him seriously. Its not that he's recanted or apologized or anything like that – such behaviour would be quite impossible for one of his type – but almost immediately after I'd told him of my visit to the lawyer & his verdict – he propounded a scheme of our working a joint practice in Devon & sharing a house again – so it looks as if the thought of losing family life had shaken him a bit.

He still writes to me coldly as Dear Rosaleen...from Jim but is quite friendly on our rare meetings & is really making communal plans at last – which have some sort of financial sanity.

I don't know if we shall ever establish a really good personal relationship again – but I'm content with this at present – & even if I get no personal happiness out of a new start – the boys will – as they adore their father.

I've had a small present for you for months – a puzzle- picture of Napoleon & his wife & child masquerading as a plant of flax. Its in an old frame & I should think is a contemporary of those times as no-one now would bother about Napoleon's family.

It only cost 1/-one shilling eds. in a shop where they re-make mattresses – & I thought it might amuse you – but I'll have to wait till until I see you as it would probably break in transit.

My 2 German refugees have at last gone to Australia, poor things. Its absurd for an elderly business man to be sentimental about a Xmas tree, I know, but I felt very sad when they said there will be no Xmas trees in Australia –

We were all frozen up at Xmas – car, pipes, & kitchen boiler but had a very good time all the same with a giant Xmas tree, & lots of parcels for the boys.

We go to Devon in about 3 weeks. I've sold my London practice (for only £325 after 10 years) to an old fellow-student at Ch X Hosp. Charing Cross Hospital

The Kent practice is too small & too scattered & will just have to disintegrate. In Devon I'm to get £350 a year as assistant in the partnership – & when Jim has had a job at Ch X H Charing Cross Hospital & joins the practice (? in August) we're to get £600 between us. The firm will pay all surgery expenses & a car allowance – & we'll have only 1 lot of domestic overheads – and if it does well we could later buy a share in the partnership, so I'm very pleased about it.

The village, Bishopsteignton, is 2 miles from the sea – & overlooks country very like the Barmouth Estuary – with lovely rolling wooded hills & the river Teign – very broad.

It will be lovely to get back to village life again, after this dreary suburb – Well – wish me luck! I think I shall get some at last.

I shall have to become Rosaleen Cooper, I fear, in such a conservative district & sink into married oblivion – so I'll sign myself for the last time as your most loving sister

Rosaleen Graves

Jan 12 Thursday

Lawrence book T.E. Lawrence to his Biographer eds. published in England.by Faber & Faber. eds.

Dictionary . Poems stabilized.

Wrote a long letter to Dunn about The War the Infantry Knew The War the Infantry Knew, 1914-1919 by J.C. Dunn. London: P.S. King & Son Ltd., 1938, 1987. eds. and another to Random House recommending it.

Recovered from my various slight aches & pains.

The game of the moment is San Francisco – darts in sequence from 1 – to 20.

The day's joke was asking Beryl for some glucinum. (Dict. definition: 'white metal obtained from Beryl.')

Jan 13 Friday

Wet, wild weather

Dictionary and letters.

At night we (Alan, Beryl, Montague, Dorothy & I – not Laura) went by car to a village film Moscow Nights Moscow Nights, 1936, starring Laurence Olivier as Captain Ignatoff eds. and walked home. (Gipsy music & Annabella: a mess.) First film I have seen since July

(In dictionary) A: Do you believe in gneiss?

Self: Gno!

Fall of TortosaSpain eds.

Jan 14 Sat.

Awful weather.

Dictionary (H)i.e. the letter 'H' eds..

Alan, Montague & I played Russian billiards (Alan & I average about 90 a break)

At night Alan, Montague, Dorothy, Beryl & I had a conference on the subject of Common Obligations of friendshipfor Protocol Two eds..

The old postman is away: got drunk in Calendar timei.e. while delivering calendars eds. & fell off his bicycle.

Jan 15 Sunday.

Montague & I wrote out results of last night's talk.

In afternoon Beryl, Alan, Montague & I sailed cork boats, with sails on pins & nail-keels, on the flooded meadows. Got very wet.

A letter from Gelat via Gibraltarin the South of Spain eds.: saying things were bad.

We sent off £50 at once.

No dictionary today. Laura getting on well with the Herodsfor Lives of Wives eds..

Ros. has yielded, as I foresaw, to Jim's pretended reconciliation & is going to go into partnership with him & change her name to Cooper.see enclosure 12 January, 1938 eds.

X Fall of TarragonaSpain eds.

Jan 16 Monday

Laura's birthday. We gave her an azalea, & white flowers, & a cake with Laura and chocolate peppermints & each wrote her a letter: she had asked for 'no presents'. Karl sent her a cameo of LucreceRoman legendary figure eds..

Dictionary.

Anita & Juan came (with a present of eau-de-Cologne & olives) & Juan said how much he hated the CatalansSpaniards of Catalonia eds..

We sent up 3 rockets for Laura & Laura's fellow-birthdays (Tom, Leonard Russell) and tried a S. AntonioSan Antonio day eds. bonfire but it was put out by torrents of rain.

Nonocat eds. disappears every day. He goes into the loft & eats rats & mice & bats: comes in not hungry & quite wild.

Jan 17 Tuesday

A walk with Laura at 3 o'clock in the morning: misty stars & a warm wind. Talked about the way D. has modelled herself uncomfortably on Laura.

Dictionary. Work on Protocol notes.

Dorothy completed her statue calledby Laura KG 'Immunity'.

Jan 18 Wed.

Montague's last day.

Dictionary; Laura got up late and spent all the afternoon in the presence of M & me explaining to D her attitude.

In the evening we went to Hotel Ouest & had supper: & several Grand Marniersliqueur eds..

A Montauban expression about a knife being as blunt as 'les fesses de Simon' Simon's arse KG.

Lawrence books T.E. Lawrence to his Biographer. Graves' book and Liddell Hart's book were packed together as a boxed set (see Higginson re. A49 b. First English issue [1939]. eds. arrived: I like them.

This was the day tipped by the F.O. Foreign Office last Nov November as the next Crisis: it is now postponed till until Feb February 4.

Jan 19 Thursday

Alan & Beryl & Dorothy went with Montague to St Malo & said goodbye (also to get a block of Cuban mahogany from the Customs which had been held there on suspicion of its containing drugs) while Mlle Madmoiselle Perou & I stopped off at Dinant (Market day; sun; everything very charming) & ate at Hotel Marguerite. Saw S.Sauveur's churchSaint Sauveur eds. (better outside than in) & a queer assortment of people walking around it: the relatives of the inmates of the local Lunatic Asylum. To Mr Henry Elliott an Englishman of 78 who only talked French in the Rue Pasteur. He is a 'Maître-Masseur'Master masseur eds. with a large clientele. He clicked back two tendons for me: knee & small of back. Charged 20 fr francs : I gave him 50 fr francs .

Jan 20 Friday

Dictionary and three drafts of a poem about a PartyPresumably "A Stranger at the Party". See Complete Poems, Vol. II, pp. 137-38. DW; eds..

Today we got a dozen oranges from Canellun sent by Gelat via Maria of S'on Corté who is married to Mateo at Lyons: they were five inches across, seedless navels, and tasted of Deyá.

Defeatism in all the Press about the seizure of Majorca by Italians and an attack on France by way of PyreneesPyrenees Mountains, bordering France and Spain eds. : 'the lesser evil.'.

IgualadaSpain eds. captured by Franco.

Jan 21 Sat.

Dictionary

In the evening my bicycle skidded in a puddle going fast down hill near La Chevrie and I came off heavily on my shoulder. Laura thought I had broken a collar-bone but I did not not.

Slept badly

Jan 22 Sunday

I got up at 7.30 dressed with difficulty & went by car to Elliott at Dinant. He said nothing was broken or sprained but I would have pain from the contusion for a long time.

It was raining & horrible at Dinant & I had to wait about until Mme Madame came back from Mass & he had dressed himself

Letter from McIntyre about Dictionary — throwing I.A.Richards & Semanticsi.e. issues of semantics eds. at Laurasee Friedmann 323-5 for more on this and the ensuing correspondence. eds..

Franco within 10 miles of Barcelona.

Jan 23 Monday

Arm very stiff but can just dress & do ordinary things

Dictionary.

Took a long time over a letter Letter about Laura Riding's Poetry See enclosure Feb. 5th, 1939. eds. to Time & Tide.

High winds.

Laura on last pp pages of Lives of Wives

Enclosure – Cutting from Time Magazine, 28 Nov. 1938. Review of Count Belisarius

After the End

Enclosure – Cutting from Times Literary Supplement, 14 Jan. 1939. Review of T.E. Lawrence to His Biographers

Lawrence the Chameleon [cutting is torn; incomplete]

Tuesday Jan 24th

Dictionary

* Laura finished Lives of Wives (first draft) and sat down to answer the McIntyre letter & enclosures: I helped.

We worked till until 3.30 am.

Wed Jan 25

I was up at 9 and we worked together again on the letterto McIntyre eds., which is will be about 4000 words, all day. I did not do Dictionary.

In the evening I went to bed to rest (shoulder still painful) but did another 4 hours at night on letter, with Alan & Beryl helping.

The news from Spain, where Franco is 1 ¼ miles from Barcelona, does not disturb us somehow; the French & English greatly disturbed & serious talk of French occupying Minorca and Spanish Morocco.

Thursday Jan 26

We worked again on the McIntyrei.e. the letter to McIntyre eds. & got it ready (four copies, one for Dent & one for Watt) by the time the car came for Dorothy & me to go to Rennes. Anita was in bed, getting down her albumen content. We bought a lot of food & I drew out £50 from the bank.

X Saw the news on the Ouest Éclair board that Barcelona had fallen.

On return worked with Laura on her cha Macedonian chapterfor Lives of Wives eds., going over my checks in the first part: till until late

Laura had a dream: 'Shut all the windows: there's going to be a storm.'

Friday Jan 27

Lovely weather, & the Barcelona news has made no difference to us, somehow.

Cross-copied Lives of Wives (3 hours) and wrest read over checks, checking, of another part from 9 pm to 3.15 am.

A letter from Charles Salisbury? KG from a nursing home: he is invited here.

Lucienne left us.

Sat Jan 28

Dorothy made a new Cambeluk board with the two extra holes (out of oak): we find it a good game.

More cross copying.

Dictionary

Worked with Laura on checks until 3.15 am.

Sunday Jan 29

All day on Lives of Wives with Laura. checking, going over, cross-copying.

Leonie fell off her bicycle & cut & twisted herself a bit

otherwise no

happenings.

Dorothy at work on a new sculpture: mirror & shoes.

I worked till until 3 am.

At 6.15 I went down & found Laura still at it.

Monday Jan 30

All day on Lives of Wives: finished my reading of HerodKing Herod eds. at 1.15 am.

There was a car-ride to Montauban to fetch paraffin & Alan & I played Russ. bill. Russian Billiards

Otherwise nothing except the death of Yeats: greeted with satisfaction.

Laura joked 'Has lunch been denounced'

I: Only unilaterally.

Beryl, Alan, Dorothy & I play four-handed Cambeluk now in the new board.

Log Entries of Letters for January, 1939 1939

Jan 1.

Bank cheques (£15 odd). Paymasteri.e. Paymaster General eds.. Isabel.

3.

Watt. Flower, Karl, David David Graves? eds., Sally, Margaret Bridget.

5.

Disciplinary letter to Th. MoultThomas Moult? (1893-1974) journalist, poet and editor eds., Time & Tide, John O'London.

7.

Watt. Barker

8

Green Armytage. Ward Lucie & John.

12

Watt about Ghost.

13

Dunn: Random House. Book to R.H. Robin Hale? eds.

14

Jenny, List, Flower.

15

John o London; Storm Jameson about P.E.NOrganization of Poets, Playwrites, Essayists and Novelists of which Jameson was president of the British chapter from 1938-1944 eds.; £100 to Bank, but £50 to Gelat; Mary Fuller; Roz; Paymaster General.

17.

Bank about money here.

20.

Dunn. Frank Richards

21.

A.G. Bottrall Margaret Bottrall eds., George Buchanan.

23

David. Time & Tide.

24.

Dunn, Watt, D.T.

29

A.G. with £3.10 Bank with cheques £5 & 7 doll dollars 50. 'Wohlenburg'a bookbinder? eds. at GottingenGöttingen, Germany eds.

Tuesday Jan 31

All day on Lives of Wives: going over Herod checks with Laura; Alan & Beryl cross-copying changes in carbons.

* Laura & I finished at 2 am & then Dorothy & I checked A & B's corrections & I had the copies for U.S. United States & Wat Cassell wrapped up & addressed by 6. am

Laura had bad cramps in a foot in bed: I did not go to bed till until 7 am