Item 20 - Letter from Edwin Montagu to Venetia Stanley

59 Bridge Street, Cambridge.—Refers humorously and sympathetically to her attack of jaundice. Is busy canvassing. Praises Winston’s speech [at Dundee]. Is looking forward to seeing her at Penrhôs.

This is a reply to A1/20.

TRANSCRIPT:

59 Bridge Street, Cambridge
Oct. 4th 1911.

My dear Venetia

I am glad your† ill because it has meant getting two letters from you {1} and I like them inordinately. If you had been well I fear that the second would never have come.

If you are now a convert from the ridiculous hypothesis that its nice to be ill and fun I have heaps of sympathy for you and gladly proffer it. It would have been incredulous if not irrelevant to offer it while you thought you liked it.

But I agree jaundice which I understand springs from persistent illtemper (!!!) is a disease apart from others.

However it may be fun to be ordinarily ill, to be jaundiced must be and is beastly and I resent its coming to you.

As for me I’m here chasing constituents. I find interest in the insurance bill, boredom with the Parliament Act, enthusiasm for Home Rule and a bitter resentment of the high prices of everything.

And the fag of going to two meetings every night to say the same thing is almost worse than jaundice.

Winston made a good speech last night I think {2}. It only contained one sentence which I can criticise. I wonder if you can guess which.

Now I know you will find this difficult to read.

But I’m writing it crouching over the fire in an ecstacy of lazy reaction after a cold drive.

Why you may ask do I write at all in the circumstances.

Well because your last letter is on the mantelpiece; between a photograph of George Lyttelton and Fred Home (do you know of that Liberal Central Association peripatetic speaker?) I see a corner of your handwriting; it induces a wish that you would materialise and an irresistible impulse to write you a “sort of” letter. I am looking forward to Penrhos—particularly after the description you give of the party—it will be fun to be there with no Pauls or Jobes {3}, or even Bakers or Aranyi’s, {4} just you in a setting.

Yrs ever with a million condolences
Edwin S. Montagu

—————

Extent? Black-edged paper.

{1} A1/19 and A1/20.

{2} Churchill had addressed a joint assembly of the men’s and women’s Liberal Associations of Dundee (his constituency). See The Times, 5 Oct. 1911, p. 5.

{3} This is the apparent reading. Montagu may have meant Jonahs.

{4} Comma supplied. The preceding word runs to the edge of the page.

† Sic.