Details
MILLER, HENRY. ARCHIVE OF 9 AUTOGRAPH LETTERS AND 3 POSTCARDS SIGNED ("HENRY", "HENRY MILLER", "H.M.", "JUNE AND HENRY", ETC.) FROM MILLER TO HIS LONGTIME NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN FRIENDS RHODA & BRUCE ELKUS, ESTHER ELKUS, AND JOSEPH O'REGAN. VP (NICE, PARIS, MARSEILLE, ETC.), VD (MOSTLY LATE 1920'S-51). TOGETHER APPROXIMATELY 43 PAGES, 12MO-4TO (MOSTLY 4TO), VARIOUS WEAR WITH NUMEROUS TAPE-REPAIRS.
INCLUDES:
FOUR LENGTHY AND REVEALING LETTERS FROM MILLER'S FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE, ON THE ROAD WITH JUNE THROUGH FRANCE EN ROUTE BACK TO PARIS AT A CRITICAL POINT IN HIS FUMBLING CAREER, DISCUSSING HIS EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF FRANCE, ROUGHING IT WITH JUNE, HIS CURRENT WORK IN PROGRESS, MONEY, AND MUCH MORE; THREE LETTERS WRITTEN FROM PARIS DURING HIS PRIME PARIS PERIOD (INCLUDING ONE DISCUSSING JUNE AND HERE WHEREABOUTS HOME IN THE U.S.); AND TWO LATER LETTERS FROM BIG SUR ALSO DISCUSSING JUNE AND HER HEALTH AND DISCUSSING MEANS OF GIVING HER SECRET SUPPORT. ACCOMPANIED BY 4 RELATED PHOTOGRAPHS (2 OF JUNE [ONE DATED 1930 IN PENCIL ON VERSO], ONE OF MILLER AND FRIEND; CONDITION POOR).
AIX-EN-PROVENCE, 6 OCTOBER 192[8]: MILLER GIVES A BRIEF HISTORY OF AIX, NOT FAILING TO MENTION THAT "HERE EMILE ZOLA WAS BORN, AND PAUL CEZANNE, THE GREATEST PAINTER OF MODERN TIMES..." HE CONTINUES WITH A LONG, DETAILED DESCRIPTION (WHICH INCLUDES A WALK WITH JUNE THROUGH THE DANGEROUS STREETS OF THE RED-LIGHT DISTRICT) OF THEIR 3-DAY STAY IN MARSEILLE, "...ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS HOLES IN THE WORLD." HE CONTINUES: "...IF THERE ARE ANY WHORES IN FRANCE WHO ARE NOT DISEASED THEY OUGHT TO GET GOLD MEDALS. EVEN THE RESPECTABLE WOMEN SELDOM BATHE - ONCE A WEEK IS A VERY HIGH AVERAGE. THEY DON'T CHANGE THEIR UNDERWEAR EXCEPT ON SUNDAYS. THAT'S STRAIGHT GOODS!... TAKING THEM ALL IN ALL, THE FRENCH ARE A DIRTY, LOW-CLASS, MEAN, GREEDY BUNCH." HE CONTINUES THE LETTER WITH A CAREFUL DESCRIPTION OF A BULL-FIGHT THEY ATTENDED AT NIMES, FOLLOWING WHICH HE ADDS: "I WOULD ADVISE YOU ONCE AGAIN TO READ THOSE TWO BOOKS OF ERNEST HEMINGWAY -- 'THE SUN ALSO RISES' AND 'MEN WITHOUT WOMEN.' HE HAD IT DOWN PAT......"
NICE, 19 OCTOBER 1928: "AS FOR THE BIKES--THEY ARE IN FINE CONDITION--BUT DO YOU SUPPOSE I CAN GET RID OF THEM FOR A LITTLE LOOSE CASH? WE HAVE BEEN FROM ONE STORE TO ANOTHER BUT THEY ARE ALL ON THE SELLING END AND NOT THE BUYING END...IF JUNE'S LEG WAS IN GOOD SHAPE WE MIGHT GET OUT ON THE ROAD AND BIKE IT BACK, BUT SHE HAS A DAMNED BAD KNEE, AND IT REQUIRES DRESSING EVERY DAY." REGARDING HIS RETURN TO THE U.S. HE CONTINUES: "I AM BOTH SORRY AND GLAD. IT'S A PECULIAR FEELING I HAVE ABOUT RETURNING. I AM TRULY STARVED FOR MANY OF THE GOOD THINGS WHICH ONLY THE U.S. OFFERS, AND YET AGAIN THERE ARE SO MANY NEW AND STRANGE PLACES I WANTED TO GO TO THAT I FEEL FULL OF REGRETS TO HAVE MISSED THEM. THE BEST PART OF OUR TRAVELS LIES AHEAD OF US. HAD I KNOWN AS MUCH ABOUT FRANCE AS I NOW DO WE WOULD HAVE GONE FIRST TO AFRICA AND SPAIN." CONCERNING HIS BOOK (PRESUMABLY MALOCH): "(NOTE: I MUST PUT IN A QUESTION ABOUT THE BOOK. HAS ANY PUBLISHER SPOKEN FAVORABLY? I SUPPOSE NOT. THERE WAS ONE IN PARIS WHO WANTED TO TAKE IT, AND PRINT IT IN ENGLISH, BUT HE WANTED TO MAKE TOO MANY CHANGES. IF NOBODY WANTS TO TAKE IT AS IT IS, DAMN IT, WE'LL HAVE IT PRINTED OURSELVES, WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD. BUT GIVE ME A LITTLE INFORMATION, IF YOU WILL, DIRECT TO PARIS.)" HE GOES ON TO DESCRIBE THE BEAUTY OF MONTE CARLO, BUT CONCLUDES: "AS A HOBO, MONTE CARLO LIKE ANY OTHER PLACE, LOOKS DREARY. ALL IN ALL, I'D RATHER BE BROKE IN N.Y. THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD..."
PARIS, N.D. [1928]: "JUNE HAS JUST THIS MOMENT RETURNED FROM THE AMERICAN EXPRESS WITH OUR BANK BOOK, WHICH WE THOUGHT HAD BEEN LOST. NOW WE WILL PROBABLY SHIP IT BACK TO THE STATES FOR THE LAST TIME AND DRAW OUT THE LAST PENNY BY TELEGRAPH. BUT IF THEY DELAY LONGER THAN TWO WEEKS IN REPLYING WE WILL AGAIN BE OUT OF LUCK--AND NO DOUBT BECOME FRENCH CITIZENS." HE CONTINUES: "...IT DOES SEEM AS THO MY BOOK IS A FAILURE. I HAVE ALREADY GIVEN UP HOPE OF ITS BEING ACCEPTED AND LOOK FORWARD TO PUBLISHING IT PRIVATELY. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN A STREET CLEANER AND NOT A WRITER! I KNOW I'LL NEVER MAKE A GOOD CHAUFFEUR." MILLER GOES ON TO DESCRIBE HOW HE AND JUNE HAD TO SELL THEIR BICYCLES IN NICE, AND DESCRIBES THEIR DIFFICULTY IN GETTING CASH. "THE LAST DAY IN NICE WE WERE TRYING TO SELL A CIGAR-LIGHTER FOR A PACKAGE OF CAMELS. TRY AND DO IT! YOU WOULD THINK WE WERE OFFERING THEM POISON. FINALLY WE PALMED IT OFF ON A JOLLY NIGGER WHO HAD BEEN LIVING IN NICE FOR TWELVE YEARS AND WHO SPOKE PERFECT FRENCH, HAD THREE DEGREES TO HIS NAME, AND AFTER WAITING 18 MONTHS, HAD JUST BEEN GRANTED THE PRIVILEGE OF PUTTING UP A NEWSTAND SO THAT HE COULD EARN A LIVING SELLING PAPERS. HE AGREED WITH ME THAT THE AMERICAN CONSUL OUGHT TO BE CASTRATED." HE CONCLUDES: "I TRUST THE TYPEWRITER IS STILL WITH YOU AND IN GOOD SHAPE AS I EXPECT TO GIVE IT A LOT OF ATTENTION WHE I GET BACK. I HAVEN'T WRITTEN A LINE SINCE ARRIVING IN EUROPE. JUST BEEN A BIG BUM, WHICH IS ABOUT AS HARD AND TOUGH A JOB AS YOU CAN FIND. IF I WERE SUDDENLY TO BECOME RICH I THINK I WOULD GO CRAZY. LIFE IS NOTHING WITHOUT STRUGGLE--SAY WHAT THEY WILL. HAVE A GOOD ROBERT BURNS CIGAR READY FOR ME AT THE DOCK, WILL YOU?..."
PARIS, MONDAY [1928]: ON THE SUBJECT OF PORNOGRAPHY: "...OF COURSE, OVER HERE YOUNGSTERS SEE A GREAT MANY THINGS THAT THEY ARE NOT PERMITTED TO SEE IN THE STATES. WHETHER IT IS WISE OR INJURIOUS I HAVEN'T YET DETERMINED. FOR ONE THING, THERE AREN'T MANY YOUNGSTERS FLOATING AROUND IN THE STREETS OF PARIS--OR FRANCE, FOR THAT MATTER. GOD ONLY KNOWS WHERE THEY HIDE THEMSELVES ALL DAY." HE GOES ON IT DETAIL TO DESCRIBE HIS IMPRESSIONS OF PARIS INCLUDING THE VARIOUS RACES OF PEOPLE, THE STREET FAIRS, ANTIQUE SHOPPING (ON THE TRAIL OF AN ANTIQUE CHESS SET), WINE AND CHEAP FRENCH MEALS, VISITING THE LOUVRE, ETC.
PARIS, 11 MARCH 1932: "I SAW 'STREET SCENE' RECENTLY AND WROTE SEVERAL PAGES ABOUT IT IN MY NEW BOOK [TROPIC OF CANCER ?] - LIKE AN OPEN LETTER TO JUNE MANSFIELD. IT IS A PITY I CAN'T SEND YOU A COPY. IT IS A PITY I DON'T SEND JUNE A COPY, BUT THEN, TO-DAY ESPECIALLY, WHEN I SEE YOUR LETTER ARRIVING ON THE 'ILE DE FRANCE' AND NOT ONE OF THOSE LONG TREMENDOUS-SIZED LETTERS OF JUNE'S, WHICH SHE HINTED AT IN HER POSTSCRIPT, I FEEL BETTER. (I READ YOUR LETTER AVIDLY FOR NEWS OF JUNE - FORGIVE ME! AND ALL I SEE IS THAT SHE IS ABSENTING HERSELF AGAIN. HER YELLOW HARI? NO, I DON'T LIKE IT, NATURALLY. CAN YOU ALL SEE ANY VIRTUE IN SUCH BLATANT ARTIFICIALITY? THE DYE IS SO OBVIOUS - AND WHY CHANGE - BLACK HAIR IS HER FORTE. - ALL THE VITALITY HAS GONE OUT OF IT IN THIS CURIOUS MIXTURE OF STRAW AND BRICK)." HE GOES ON: "PERHAPS A SECRET ANNOYANCE IS FINDING EXPRESSION - AN ANNOYANCE IN REALIZING THAT JUNE COULD GO BACK AGAIN TO AMERICA, THAT SHE NEEDS AMERICA, THAT SHE SLIPS BACK INTO SOME LIFE OF WHICH I KNOW NOTHING AND COVERS HERSELF WITH SILENCE." ON DRINKING: "SURE, I DRINK, AND I AM FREQUENTLY A LITTLE TO THE WIND - BUT I FEEL MYSELF GROWING MELLOW THEN, AND NOT SENSATIONAL. MY INHIBITIONS DO NOT NEED TO BE DROWNED IN ALCOHOL. I LIKE THESE EUROPEANS PRECISELY, BECAUSE THEY DISPLAY SO FEW INHIBITIONS - THEY DO NOT NEED TO GET DRUNK TO FACE THE REALISTIES OF LIFE... I SEEMED TO HAVE READ, BETWEEN THE LINES OF YOUR FIRST LETTER, A PORTRAIT OF MYSELF WHICH JUNE HAD PAINTED. I AM TERRIBLY CONCERNED ABOUT JUNE - THAT SHE SHOULD HAVE SEIZED ON ALL THE DISTORTED ELEMENTS. I HAVE WRITTEN HER SEVERAL TIMES SINCE SHE LEFT - BUT IT IS NOTHING TO WHAT I SHOULD LIKE TO WRITE. IT HURT TO GET A POSTSCRIPT TO YOUR LETTER - WITH A PROMISE WHICH TO-DAY SEEMS UNLIKELY TO BE FULFILLED. I CAN'T WRITE HER ANY MORE - NOT UNTIL I HEAR FROM HER DIRECTLY. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO WRITE TO SOME WRAITH IN THE WIND."
PARIS, 24 AUGUST, NO YEAR [1938?]: FOLLOWING AN ORDER FOR A PAIR OF GRAY CORDUROY TROUSERS (INCLUDING HIS MEASUREMENTS) TO HIS FRIEND JOE [O'REGAN]: "...JUST FINISHED BIG BOOK ON 'CAPRICORN' (VOL. I.) - AM EXHAUSTED."
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INCLUDES:
FOUR LENGTHY AND REVEALING LETTERS FROM MILLER'S FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE, ON THE ROAD WITH JUNE THROUGH FRANCE EN ROUTE BACK TO PARIS AT A CRITICAL POINT IN HIS FUMBLING CAREER, DISCUSSING HIS EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF FRANCE, ROUGHING IT WITH JUNE, HIS CURRENT WORK IN PROGRESS, MONEY, AND MUCH MORE; THREE LETTERS WRITTEN FROM PARIS DURING HIS PRIME PARIS PERIOD (INCLUDING ONE DISCUSSING JUNE AND HERE WHEREABOUTS HOME IN THE U.S.); AND TWO LATER LETTERS FROM BIG SUR ALSO DISCUSSING JUNE AND HER HEALTH AND DISCUSSING MEANS OF GIVING HER SECRET SUPPORT. ACCOMPANIED BY 4 RELATED PHOTOGRAPHS (2 OF JUNE [ONE DATED 1930 IN PENCIL ON VERSO], ONE OF MILLER AND FRIEND; CONDITION POOR).
AIX-EN-PROVENCE, 6 OCTOBER 192[8]: MILLER GIVES A BRIEF HISTORY OF AIX, NOT FAILING TO MENTION THAT "HERE EMILE ZOLA WAS BORN, AND PAUL CEZANNE, THE GREATEST PAINTER OF MODERN TIMES..." HE CONTINUES WITH A LONG, DETAILED DESCRIPTION (WHICH INCLUDES A WALK WITH JUNE THROUGH THE DANGEROUS STREETS OF THE RED-LIGHT DISTRICT) OF THEIR 3-DAY STAY IN MARSEILLE, "...ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS HOLES IN THE WORLD." HE CONTINUES: "...IF THERE ARE ANY WHORES IN FRANCE WHO ARE NOT DISEASED THEY OUGHT TO GET GOLD MEDALS. EVEN THE RESPECTABLE WOMEN SELDOM BATHE - ONCE A WEEK IS A VERY HIGH AVERAGE. THEY DON'T CHANGE THEIR UNDERWEAR EXCEPT ON SUNDAYS. THAT'S STRAIGHT GOODS!... TAKING THEM ALL IN ALL, THE FRENCH ARE A DIRTY, LOW-CLASS, MEAN, GREEDY BUNCH." HE CONTINUES THE LETTER WITH A CAREFUL DESCRIPTION OF A BULL-FIGHT THEY ATTENDED AT NIMES, FOLLOWING WHICH HE ADDS: "I WOULD ADVISE YOU ONCE AGAIN TO READ THOSE TWO BOOKS OF ERNEST HEMINGWAY -- 'THE SUN ALSO RISES' AND 'MEN WITHOUT WOMEN.' HE HAD IT DOWN PAT......"
NICE, 19 OCTOBER 1928: "AS FOR THE BIKES--THEY ARE IN FINE CONDITION--BUT DO YOU SUPPOSE I CAN GET RID OF THEM FOR A LITTLE LOOSE CASH? WE HAVE BEEN FROM ONE STORE TO ANOTHER BUT THEY ARE ALL ON THE SELLING END AND NOT THE BUYING END...IF JUNE'S LEG WAS IN GOOD SHAPE WE MIGHT GET OUT ON THE ROAD AND BIKE IT BACK, BUT SHE HAS A DAMNED BAD KNEE, AND IT REQUIRES DRESSING EVERY DAY." REGARDING HIS RETURN TO THE U.S. HE CONTINUES: "I AM BOTH SORRY AND GLAD. IT'S A PECULIAR FEELING I HAVE ABOUT RETURNING. I AM TRULY STARVED FOR MANY OF THE GOOD THINGS WHICH ONLY THE U.S. OFFERS, AND YET AGAIN THERE ARE SO MANY NEW AND STRANGE PLACES I WANTED TO GO TO THAT I FEEL FULL OF REGRETS TO HAVE MISSED THEM. THE BEST PART OF OUR TRAVELS LIES AHEAD OF US. HAD I KNOWN AS MUCH ABOUT FRANCE AS I NOW DO WE WOULD HAVE GONE FIRST TO AFRICA AND SPAIN." CONCERNING HIS BOOK (PRESUMABLY MALOCH): "(NOTE: I MUST PUT IN A QUESTION ABOUT THE BOOK. HAS ANY PUBLISHER SPOKEN FAVORABLY? I SUPPOSE NOT. THERE WAS ONE IN PARIS WHO WANTED TO TAKE IT, AND PRINT IT IN ENGLISH, BUT HE WANTED TO MAKE TOO MANY CHANGES. IF NOBODY WANTS TO TAKE IT AS IT IS, DAMN IT, WE'LL HAVE IT PRINTED OURSELVES, WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD. BUT GIVE ME A LITTLE INFORMATION, IF YOU WILL, DIRECT TO PARIS.)" HE GOES ON TO DESCRIBE THE BEAUTY OF MONTE CARLO, BUT CONCLUDES: "AS A HOBO, MONTE CARLO LIKE ANY OTHER PLACE, LOOKS DREARY. ALL IN ALL, I'D RATHER BE BROKE IN N.Y. THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD..."
PARIS, N.D. [1928]: "JUNE HAS JUST THIS MOMENT RETURNED FROM THE AMERICAN EXPRESS WITH OUR BANK BOOK, WHICH WE THOUGHT HAD BEEN LOST. NOW WE WILL PROBABLY SHIP IT BACK TO THE STATES FOR THE LAST TIME AND DRAW OUT THE LAST PENNY BY TELEGRAPH. BUT IF THEY DELAY LONGER THAN TWO WEEKS IN REPLYING WE WILL AGAIN BE OUT OF LUCK--AND NO DOUBT BECOME FRENCH CITIZENS." HE CONTINUES: "...IT DOES SEEM AS THO MY BOOK IS A FAILURE. I HAVE ALREADY GIVEN UP HOPE OF ITS BEING ACCEPTED AND LOOK FORWARD TO PUBLISHING IT PRIVATELY. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN A STREET CLEANER AND NOT A WRITER! I KNOW I'LL NEVER MAKE A GOOD CHAUFFEUR." MILLER GOES ON TO DESCRIBE HOW HE AND JUNE HAD TO SELL THEIR BICYCLES IN NICE, AND DESCRIBES THEIR DIFFICULTY IN GETTING CASH. "THE LAST DAY IN NICE WE WERE TRYING TO SELL A CIGAR-LIGHTER FOR A PACKAGE OF CAMELS. TRY AND DO IT! YOU WOULD THINK WE WERE OFFERING THEM POISON. FINALLY WE PALMED IT OFF ON A JOLLY NIGGER WHO HAD BEEN LIVING IN NICE FOR TWELVE YEARS AND WHO SPOKE PERFECT FRENCH, HAD THREE DEGREES TO HIS NAME, AND AFTER WAITING 18 MONTHS, HAD JUST BEEN GRANTED THE PRIVILEGE OF PUTTING UP A NEWSTAND SO THAT HE COULD EARN A LIVING SELLING PAPERS. HE AGREED WITH ME THAT THE AMERICAN CONSUL OUGHT TO BE CASTRATED." HE CONCLUDES: "I TRUST THE TYPEWRITER IS STILL WITH YOU AND IN GOOD SHAPE AS I EXPECT TO GIVE IT A LOT OF ATTENTION WHE I GET BACK. I HAVEN'T WRITTEN A LINE SINCE ARRIVING IN EUROPE. JUST BEEN A BIG BUM, WHICH IS ABOUT AS HARD AND TOUGH A JOB AS YOU CAN FIND. IF I WERE SUDDENLY TO BECOME RICH I THINK I WOULD GO CRAZY. LIFE IS NOTHING WITHOUT STRUGGLE--SAY WHAT THEY WILL. HAVE A GOOD ROBERT BURNS CIGAR READY FOR ME AT THE DOCK, WILL YOU?..."
PARIS, MONDAY [1928]: ON THE SUBJECT OF PORNOGRAPHY: "...OF COURSE, OVER HERE YOUNGSTERS SEE A GREAT MANY THINGS THAT THEY ARE NOT PERMITTED TO SEE IN THE STATES. WHETHER IT IS WISE OR INJURIOUS I HAVEN'T YET DETERMINED. FOR ONE THING, THERE AREN'T MANY YOUNGSTERS FLOATING AROUND IN THE STREETS OF PARIS--OR FRANCE, FOR THAT MATTER. GOD ONLY KNOWS WHERE THEY HIDE THEMSELVES ALL DAY." HE GOES ON IT DETAIL TO DESCRIBE HIS IMPRESSIONS OF PARIS INCLUDING THE VARIOUS RACES OF PEOPLE, THE STREET FAIRS, ANTIQUE SHOPPING (ON THE TRAIL OF AN ANTIQUE CHESS SET), WINE AND CHEAP FRENCH MEALS, VISITING THE LOUVRE, ETC.
PARIS, 11 MARCH 1932: "I SAW 'STREET SCENE' RECENTLY AND WROTE SEVERAL PAGES ABOUT IT IN MY NEW BOOK [TROPIC OF CANCER ?] - LIKE AN OPEN LETTER TO JUNE MANSFIELD. IT IS A PITY I CAN'T SEND YOU A COPY. IT IS A PITY I DON'T SEND JUNE A COPY, BUT THEN, TO-DAY ESPECIALLY, WHEN I SEE YOUR LETTER ARRIVING ON THE 'ILE DE FRANCE' AND NOT ONE OF THOSE LONG TREMENDOUS-SIZED LETTERS OF JUNE'S, WHICH SHE HINTED AT IN HER POSTSCRIPT, I FEEL BETTER. (I READ YOUR LETTER AVIDLY FOR NEWS OF JUNE - FORGIVE ME! AND ALL I SEE IS THAT SHE IS ABSENTING HERSELF AGAIN. HER YELLOW HARI? NO, I DON'T LIKE IT, NATURALLY. CAN YOU ALL SEE ANY VIRTUE IN SUCH BLATANT ARTIFICIALITY? THE DYE IS SO OBVIOUS - AND WHY CHANGE - BLACK HAIR IS HER FORTE. - ALL THE VITALITY HAS GONE OUT OF IT IN THIS CURIOUS MIXTURE OF STRAW AND BRICK)." HE GOES ON: "PERHAPS A SECRET ANNOYANCE IS FINDING EXPRESSION - AN ANNOYANCE IN REALIZING THAT JUNE COULD GO BACK AGAIN TO AMERICA, THAT SHE NEEDS AMERICA, THAT SHE SLIPS BACK INTO SOME LIFE OF WHICH I KNOW NOTHING AND COVERS HERSELF WITH SILENCE." ON DRINKING: "SURE, I DRINK, AND I AM FREQUENTLY A LITTLE TO THE WIND - BUT I FEEL MYSELF GROWING MELLOW THEN, AND NOT SENSATIONAL. MY INHIBITIONS DO NOT NEED TO BE DROWNED IN ALCOHOL. I LIKE THESE EUROPEANS PRECISELY, BECAUSE THEY DISPLAY SO FEW INHIBITIONS - THEY DO NOT NEED TO GET DRUNK TO FACE THE REALISTIES OF LIFE... I SEEMED TO HAVE READ, BETWEEN THE LINES OF YOUR FIRST LETTER, A PORTRAIT OF MYSELF WHICH JUNE HAD PAINTED. I AM TERRIBLY CONCERNED ABOUT JUNE - THAT SHE SHOULD HAVE SEIZED ON ALL THE DISTORTED ELEMENTS. I HAVE WRITTEN HER SEVERAL TIMES SINCE SHE LEFT - BUT IT IS NOTHING TO WHAT I SHOULD LIKE TO WRITE. IT HURT TO GET A POSTSCRIPT TO YOUR LETTER - WITH A PROMISE WHICH TO-DAY SEEMS UNLIKELY TO BE FULFILLED. I CAN'T WRITE HER ANY MORE - NOT UNTIL I HEAR FROM HER DIRECTLY. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO WRITE TO SOME WRAITH IN THE WIND."
PARIS, 24 AUGUST, NO YEAR [1938?]: FOLLOWING AN ORDER FOR A PAIR OF GRAY CORDUROY TROUSERS (INCLUDING HIS MEASUREMENTS) TO HIS FRIEND JOE [O'REGAN]: "...JUST FINISHED BIG BOOK ON 'CAPRICORN' (VOL. I.) - AM EXHAUSTED."
(20)