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Here we are, two days out, & getting into
tomorrow morning. Therefore although there aren't many days to
icle
afraid I'll miss the next mail; & as I don't want to spend all my
time in port writing letters
Sunday night. So no doubt you are doing the same. I am thus late
because I have been playing the piano — a Broadwood grand, a
bit wonky but good in parts — to my fellow travelling scholars, or
some of them. There are an immense crowd
9 at least, some from
are travelling first with free passages. I got chatting to a girl at
breakfast before we left
was a
when it turned out that she was a classics scholar going from
interested in her, she mentioned casually that her fianceé was on board
too — but he, poor devil, has to travel 3rd-class, so that she dosen't
get much chance to see him except at ports. And he is low, one
of the
also 3rd The Castle gang, thank heaven, are going
we got our seats at table on leaving
(i.e the girl,
travelling scholars — one in French & German, a bird with a fat
face who had the misfortune to be wonky yesterday, though the
sea was ideally calm — one in economics, I think, & the third
in architecture, a bloke called
of drawing & writing for
like
girls from the
by a bright young officer lad, with a nice Marcelle wave in front.
The rest of the saloon is a pretty rough lot; one or two ultra-
flash
with frosty faces, & a few large men who look more unintelligent
than they possibly may be. We feed on the fat of the land, though
hindered to a certain extent by the singular French in which
the dinner menu is composed — so that even our French scholar
is a bit hard put to interpret sometimes. I find too that it's
no use putting on your best French accent with these low-
bred stewards — what you have to do is to pronounce as written. Nice
menus they get out
on top. It's not much use trying to be a food reformer — so I
am having a grand splurge — getting in while the going's good (I
refer to the weather) & casting my net far & wide. I generally
have some fruit to start off breakfast with, followed by an
omelette (good omelettes they are too) & a slice of grilled
& eggs) or I may possibly insert a trifle of fish; & then a finger
or two of toast & marmalade forms a suitable light coping stone.
The coffee is good; & we get it after lunch & dinner as well.
On these latter occasions in the lounge or smoking room
of course. With Demerara sugar, which I had never seen before,
but which does not seem to differ in effect from any other
sugar. At lunch we toy with a spoonful or so of soup,
possibly again fish (turbot for me today), cold viands of
some sort, salad, two or three apricots, etc. Dinner I hesitate
to
describe to you, lest your hygienic soul should shudder
& wilt. So far I appear to be thriving — we walk
eng
getically
quoits & deck-tennis till the blood rushes to our heads, so
that so far there are no signs of increasing fat on my
manly frame. I meant to weigh myself before leaving
n-
ney
To get back to the beginning, I put in most of
Friday
day
in the evening to work; next day I had to meet a cove on
the wharf to make a new key to my cabin-trunk. ½ hour
late he was, & charged me 7 bob — the dirty Australian.
And then when I had a look in my other trunk I found
the books in it I thought were in
the key for. Otherwise I could have waited for the damn
thing till I got home. However you never know, I might have
wanted it for something else. What about
the cost? — he can send the 3/6 per the
I spent the rest of the day at the
they have just on closing time at 9 p.m. They give the casual
visitor more freedom there than they do at the
you just write your name in a visitors' book & wander
round as you like. Of course they haven't got the little
treasures the
mostly ships' logs & governor's papers. I've seen some
famous men's autographs. However that's by the way. On
Saturday morning I started off with a list of things to do —
& I'm blest if second person I met wasn't a bloke
off the
advice on where to go or how to get somewhere or what to do
when he got there. So I told them all and then I'm darned
if I didn't go & get lost myself, for the first and only time
I was in
know I took ¾
cial
down near the
I did most of the other things I meant to do before meeting
at for morning tea on Farmer's roof-garden. I forgot to
mention that on Friday night I was very busy acquiring
three studs (at 6d
in the shop if he could teach me to tie one; & I said, "If
you
end?" To which I said "Search me". Now the one you
bought me was a double end, & the single end is much
simpler to tie, I find; in fact, according to the gent in the
shop, it is now as worn. So when I wear it I hope to
adjust same with the minimum of trouble. Dressing for
dinner, however, according to a steward cobber of mine,
is not de
rige
reig rigueur (terrible word to spell) till
after we leave
it. Well, I purchased a copy of
Every Woman Knows
acted, & she shouted me morning tea & a sprig of boronia;
& we bowled down to the wharf & purchased a streamer
& shouted facetious remarks till the
s boat went out. It
was decent to have her on the wharf — one of the best among
girls. Then I watched them drop the pilot & had a look at
the coast & then the couple went for lunch & I leapt down
to same with great vim, not to say avidity — finding in
my cabin your cable, which was very cheering, & for
which I thank you very much; it was indeed pleasant to get.
By the way,
that
should want it. They had a shelf-
full of very attractive
bargains, but I turned my eyes away resolutely — after having
a good look. They have a few of the Nonesuch books,
&
Nights
Christian household). I got
4/6. Also a first edition of
want it I dare say C.Q.P. will buy it. That's all I have bought
here, though sorely tempted.
We have had jolly good weather since leaving
with the coast in sight nearly all the time, either just visible
on the horizon or fairly close.
He We have seen one or two
ships & two gorgeous sunsets over the coast. I knock off
now; expecting to be nearly at
which noble city I shall try & describe to you later on.
fast
large brown paper parcel intent on finding a laundry; which
I found in due course, the owner thereof promising faithfully,
on the honour of a gentleman who had worked on the
efficiently cleansed & bone dry, by three o'clock this afternoon.
So let's hope he does so. My first pair of pyjamas went
west the night before we got here — very pathetic they looked,
floating rapidly astern on the white foam; but they looked
more pathetic when they were hung on me. I'm afraid
I scandalised the old girl at a bit at the
out my room, but she always folded them up most
lyunder
also (to return to
fully
known as
blocks & is still building. The girl seemed very pleased to
see me, in which you will agree she showed excellent taste,
& invited me out to their joint for the evening meal & some
music. They have a gramaphone with a few good records,
etc; & a piano of the patent iron-foundry type; however I played
my piece & she sang a bit & I moved off, in mortal fear
the celebrated cal came to
the lad, thereby bearing out a poem by
tage
wilderness of wild beasts. I found a good bookshop in
the morning,
cases stiffer. But he had a few good second hand things, & some
things that booksellers in
He had that
edition, but clearly printed & cheap enough at the price.
I put in the whole of the afternoon from 1 to ¼ to 5
at the Art Gallery; they have some wonderful stuff there;
a magnificent
by
shade; about four
son
little thing they paid £21,000 odd for)
colour
by
collection of Japanese prints, including one or two of mine
and some miraculous ones besides, furniture, glass, Chinese
carved and embroidered screens, and Lord knows what besides. Of
course they have this Felton bequest and expert advisers at
home to grab stuff for them. A collection also of coloured
drawings by
came in and gazed in silence for some time then one of them
opened his mouth. He said, “e must 'a been dippy”
have stuck in my memory very vividly — But I wouldn't
give two pins for the lot, so I am evidently a low-brow.
Oh, they have also two original
carto caricatures by
Beerbohm
Strachey
saw her. By gum, they're good too; drawn very faintly
in pencil & then
fa washed off with very pale colour.
I wouldn't mind going back there again to-day but I
want to see the
they say is pretty good.
certainly more up to date; but it is a lot slower. They are
having a
lemons to help on the good cause. I can have grape-fruit
for breakfast if I like every morning, of course; but they
only give you ½ of one — very juicy, & much to my taste.
But I work round the menus a great deal, in French &
English; to get as much experience as possible. At present we
are thinking of getting our French scholar to give a course
of University extension
letters lectures in French for
ards
ten
they gape. I may have told you this before.
Well, I must cease, or I shall never get into town at
all, & I must get there, for I busted my braces at a crucial
point in a game of deck-tennis the other day. I probably
shan't post another letter till