Monday, Jan. 24

HILDA ALDINGTON
HÔTEL DE LA PAIX
LAUSANNE

Dear Viola,

Thank you for the two lots of cards, and please thank Sue and the others; I went over them all and enjoyed it; I cut off writing when I send, as a rule and I snipped out some of the names, it does not spoil the cards. I am now taking them to the Post Office, done up in two envelopes. I use the thick stick-shut one, the first lot came in, re-addressed.

Thank you for all news. The Sitwell clipping is interesting, too. I do not know who the "artist" is that E. speaks of. The one to whom I am so devoted is Sulamith Wulfing; she is in Brit. occupied Germany and cannot even get to Switzerland though I have been making inquiries through her agent here, for some years. That card of "The Heart" I sent you is one of her rather fairy-tale drawings. I sent E. one of the cards and he seemed to like it.

I would write you direct if there was anyone due over, whom I thought you might like. Bryher tells me that she MAY be over, but she makes so many plans and often changes at the last minute. No, I am not coming this year.

I will keep you in touch. I should like you to see Bryher. You do not know how we used to scream over your letters in my London flat; it was like a play to us, to hear of the trees, the veg., the various ups and downs, the radio, the news from your angle, all those years- often with gun-fire outside, the wierdiest comment on everything.

The "Lady Artist" is in touch with P.; at least, I tell P. all there is to know; I had thought P. might get some of her things set up in US, but there doesn't seem to be much hope; Madame Wulfing must have only the best printers and set-up; ordinary reproduction ruins her work, she writes.

Please do not mention to P., but I had a great shock about friends. I crossed in 1911 with a very dear friend, my most intimate with the one exception of Bryher, a sort of alter-ego. Ezra knew her, Frances Gregg. She married, had two children, divorced Lewis Wilkinson; her mother came to be with her.

They were pretty hard up but always fa

fascinating to me. I loved them but saw little during the last years.
I thought they had gone to US before the war. But they had not.
The boy Oliver is in the Brit. Navy; he was last heard of from
Iceland. But Frances, my friend, her mother and her daughter, Betty were
all killed in one of the raids on Plymouth. I hear through a friend
of hers whom I met from time to time, before the war, Andrew Gibson.
Andrew wrote me and asked of news of Ezra. I think he thought that E
should know of Frances, though I do not think that E had given her a
thought for years. Frances talked much of the old times to Gibson (a
younger man) and I suppose she probably spoke of Ezra. You need not
tell E this, if better not. I just wanted to tell you. Better not mention
to Perdita. Perdita's name is really Frances Perdita; I named her
for my friend Frances.

I have been re-typing old stuff and have got rather snowed under with
all the years. I kept a sort of rough account of the first two
war years and I have been tying out some of it, destroying some of it.
I have this friend at Yale, who is making a collectin of my MSS for me; it
is good to tidy-up things; I have really been very lazy, leaving old stuff
and rushing on to new. But I think I told you, I call this my Sabbatical
year and instead of a rest, I am grinding away seven times as hard at
the old stuff.

I would write more- I love all your "chatter" as you call it. I
just get too darned TIRED with the type-script - a writer is the
worst sort of letter-writer often. So forgive this - and do see Bryher
if she comes. She will surprise you. She seems quite remote
and detached and she is just busting inside with all the little
affairs of life; I know no one who has enjoyed the Jordan Letters
as much as Bryher. I except myself as they are letters TO me. But
Bryher just loves that house and that family.

war and I was so interested that Br
insisted on getting me several
fabulous and beautiful designs, one
three-pieces of Cluny, one long
pannel of an old Vienna scene. I can
not tell you how this simply saved my
life, working there in our living-room
under the lamp, while the bombs dropped.
They are terribly fussy about WOOL going
out from here, so I may not be able to
send the two squares of the bag ( to
be made up afterwards.) However, as
it was all bought in London, about
1942, I will declair it, as such. I will
send if I can, out of sentiment - the two
pieces with a strip for the bag-handle
and the wool that came for it.

It may take a little time as I have to
get my trunk out of Bryher's
Kenwin, first. She moves over to
Pully in the winter, as she cannot heat
her house. I am looking forward to
Lausanne again, though I have been so

bureau. Now I have just my
last-minute small bag, type-writer and a
bulky attache' case of MSS to take
back on Thursday, if all (D.V)
goes as planned!

Perdita wrote she was embroiled in
some new class-work and working
through piles of MSS at her office.

I wonder if you have yet seen her ?

Don't worry about it- I just
thought, for old times sake, it would be
fun, all round.

What has become of Maria ? I think of
her and that touching account that you
wrote me of poor Mrs. Pound's
going.
Apparently Ezra liked the
book I sent; I think I wrote you that I told
them at New Directions to send it to
you, if E. was likely not to care for it.

I had a letter from E. and wrote him
again, several times. Thank you again for
all the news you sent, from time to
time.
Love to go to all there,
from
Wildai

It is good here, as I see Bryher, three or four times a
week, and I have another friend in the neighbourhood.
I have many books sent me, to read, to acknowledge, even
sometimes to review. I sent E. some more cards of
Venice, he seemed to like them and I sent him his letter
on to Olga, as I believe they had their little house there.
She offered to lend it to me, at one time; I knew then,
nothing actually of the arrangement, though knew E. and she
had done some music of sorts together. That, I could never follow.
I heard Olga play some of it, at a small concert in London,
back in the twenties. I felt really I could not cope. I
suppose E. gave her some sort of rough rythm and she set the
things, but on the programme the songs or themes were
credited to E.; that Katherine-somebody you spoke
of ? What is her name ? I remember E. speaking long ago, when
I first knew him of an older woman, a musician, who had meant
much in his young life. Was she this "influence? " I picked
on an older woman, or girl in Paris, about 1912 whom E. took
me to see; I thought it was this Margaret, but apparently I was
wrong. She was a musician or studied music and had early,
tragic end.

I hear and will hear more of you all from Perdita. Please, please
be happy and gay and write when you feel like it- just
anything from you and your house-and-home is sheer
delight to us here.

A happy 1950 to you all,