Monday
Dear Heart - the sky is as blue as blue with little white puffs of cloud - the sun is "bullig" but there is a nice little breeze and an aeroplane buzzing in the distance. It is the first hot day we've had for a week, so I'm sitting in that long chair in the garden having just read your letter - and feeling a bit guilty because writing to you will upset my two hours German for this morning!
It was a very nice letter - and I've read it twice. I'd a jolly good mind not to make any comments on it because all you said about my work of art and pages of news was that it was satisfyingly fat on the outside! Never mind, you made up by telling me a lovely lot of news yourself. I'm sorry you didn't go to Dunally because they were all longing to hear about everything - but I expect your mother enjoyed having you at Bournemouth - did you go down on Saturday afternoon and back on Sunday? Poor old Renny! I roared with laughter over Joan and her sadist - are there really people like that? I don't think that can be all true. Perhaps he'll fine someone else at Bournemouth.
I've had two lovely letters from Eileen & Bodil - Bodil's was 6 pages!! - and made me laugh a bit - I must show it to you when I get back - all about how wonderful she thinks you and I are in loving each other like this! - Funnily enough Inge told me the same thing yesterday - she thinks I'm the kind of person who will always be faithful - it's rather strange. Looking at your own love through other peoples' eyes - because they can only be guessing.
Eileen's letter ended up - "With best love, old thing", which made me feel quite homesick for Schwaneberg again. That my kind and gracious Eileen should call me "old thing" like a friend, was just too much for me!!
I've had letters from Mary Hicks - whose father has retire from the University and bought a Road House - 16th century building - at Henley-in-Arden - 6 miles from Stratford. Hickie loves it - we must go & see her one day - and, this morning, a letter from Andy - very nice. We only meant about your "not having time" for a letter - that there hadn't been enough time for you to get home & write one, for me to receive it.
We've had an awful bother over the films - ending in the photograph shop threatening to call the police to throw Günther out last Saturday! We took them on Monday - and they said tree days. They were finished on Saturday evening - but they've put the developed film on too big a spool - and they'd forgotten to order the new one! - so Günther is going specially up to our shop in Berlin today to get them to change the spool & to get a new film. It is sickening - because I wanted to take it over this weekend. The developed one looks quite good at the beginning - but I haven't unrolled it far - I'll tell you about it when the spool is changed. They charged 2.50 for developing - is that right?
I have done a frightful lot since I last wrote.
Wednesday - tea with Erika & wicked old German with white beard who spoke perfect English - knew a lot of dirty jokes of England 1902 - 9 and discussed the state of English novel writing since the war & lent me a book by Michael Ailen to see for myself. I've read it - it's very queerly written about most awful people having bald conversations and peculiar operations & sleeping with each other all over the place - & there's a word I must look up when I get home - but it's the kind of book you had to finish & couldn't put down in the middle. Inge has a "Father Brown" which I've read since then - lovely - & I'm just going to start "Sons & Lovers". "The Man who was Thursday" is perfect! - never shall I forget the wonderful messages Sunday threw from his fire engine and balloon! But I don't quite understand it - will you explain it to me one day?
On Thursday, Günther took me to a Tea-Dance at the Europa Pavilion - we went up on the roof first & looked at Berlin all the way round. It was very interesting because they had very good "turns" in between each dance - but there were too many people to dance properly - who, Günther said, were mostly up from the country for the day. It will never cease to amaze me how the German cafés, hotels & restaurants - (thousands of them) are always full! - not only on weekends - but all the week. I know our restaurants are full every day - but we go there just because we must have tea somewhere - But these people go up specially to these places to dance and watch a sort of cabaret in the middle of the day - and they're all full again in the evening - it's amazing.
(I'm now going onto the back of the pages)
We got home at 7.30 to change - eat quickly and back to the Kürfurstendamm Theatre to see "Veronika" - a fairly good comedy. I didn't understand much of the words but it was fairly easy to follow. The funniest & most unexpected people were there - lots of "old-fogeys" - and I was about the only person who looked as if they'd troubled to change or even do their hair for it! Günther drove me round that bit of Berlin afterwards to see the lights & people - but I felt like shutting my eyes because I hate seeing it all without you. It doesn't seem fair, somehow! & not a bit the same. Günther is very good-mannered and helpful - but I think he's a bit full of himself and very uninteresting. Inge's much the nicer type.
On Friday, Frau Aumund & I went to the "Sommerblumenschau" and enjoyed it very much. Th flowers were all a bit spoilt by rain & not a patch on English shows for variety - but we went all round it in a little scenic railway which was lovely - and went into one of the industry hoses there where wood & basket work was shown - (some lovely things) and Frau Aumund bought a lovely gardening basket for Mummy - she wouldn't let me pay - But it's so big I shall have to carry it home! - (Don't tell Mummy, will you?) & I bought two wooden animals like reindeer with the "dumm"est faces - called Dick & Dof" (by me) - you can have "Dick" when I get home to stand on your mantelpiece to look at when you feel "dumm" - and I've also go you another present which was the only excuse Inge & I could find for going into a most lovely & expensive shop to look at things when we went shopping together in Berlin on Saturday afternoon. She's a very nice person to go shopping with & we both enjoyed ourselves - it's a pity I haven't got £1000 to spend. We finished up by going to the Gloria Palast to see "Amphytrion" - the funny film of the moment - about Jupiter & Mercury coming down from Olympus to Greece for a few days to have a good time with the women before the men come back from battle. - It was very well done - especially the scenes on Olympus & Mercury descending to earth by his umbrella, with roller skates on his feet!
We got back to find that Elaud had phoned up just after we'd gone to ask us to go with another boy to a dance at the "Rotweiss" Tennis Club! - But he's going to see what he can do for next Saturday! He's a very nice boy - I like him more every time I see him - so nice and sincere and straightforward & humorous.
He came with us all & another boy (in uniform - with a long sword!) to "Marquart" yesterday - 10Km: from Potsdam - owned by Kempinski - the most marvellous house & garden swooping down to the lake - a perfect place - Hundreds of people drive out there on Sundays - we danced again and had tea & took photographs.
Next week we are having about 10 people here for a kind of party - Günther & Inge sped the time arguing over who's nice and who'd nasty!
Tomorrow I am getting up early with Inge & going with her school to the local cinema to see "The Old & the Young King" - but I've got to look like one of them as she's wangling me a ticket! I want to see it badly - & they all get in for 15 pfennigs!
I'm afraid I'm getting very fat with all these indulgings - I hope you'll recognise me at Victoria! Oh, Ticky, only 9 (triple underscore) days!!! How ever much of a lovely time I have all my life, I shall always long desperately for the moment when I get back to you. I am doing quite a lot of German - & I should love to go on with the Grammar part with you next term if you'll have me, will you? I've also started translating "Little Lord Fauntleroy" from German - but it's very stiff work! - & I still can't say anything properly.
It's Norah's birthday on Sept 1st (Sunday after I get back) - and all the bridesmaids have got to meet together to discuss things. I hope it's not all day because of you being at home for the weekend - but perhaps she'll ask you too. Mummy's sent me the (new page) pattern of the material for my frock - which I'll put in this for you to see - I smiled when I saw it because it's just the two colours you can't stand together! - However, doubtless you'll deign to speak to me in it! - with brown hat, shoes & gloves I think.
Thank you for the time table & R.M. Form. I do hope we get in on time to Victoria - I expect they'll all come up to meet me from home - Oh, it will be wonderful - Darling - darling - darling - you can't imagine how "England" creeps in my bones - how "home" appeals to my comfort & satisfaction - and how "you" - my very dearest of dears - live inside me and all round me - & I think of you so often that it seems as if you're really here all the time.
Love me always, as I shall always love you - your
Mary Pleasant xxx
P.S. Air mail letters posted here before 7 a.m. get to London at 1.p.m. the same day - or posted before 11.35 a.m. to London by 5 p.m. - This also applies from London to here. But if saving the £1 - it doesn't matter!!
Could you manage to see Mummy sometime - when she's in town perhaps? - she'd love it.
I.L.Y.S.M.I.C.B.!
MPO
P.P.S.
Dear Ticky
I'm so sorry - I meant to start off this letter so beautifully with -
(1) Have you heard anything about "Edwy"? - Was it lying there glassily for you when you got back - & what about the Sloth-Slug, I mean? - Let me know
(2) What are your opinions, at the present time, on the political situation in Europe? - I'm afraid it would be a little dangerous to air my biased views here, as the letters are often opened - But I am looking forward to a deep and valuable discussion when I return.
Mary P Ormiston
oh - sorry
(3) have you had your hair-cut?
Frau Aumund got your letter & they were all very surprise that there wasn't one mistake! I read it too - but I liked the "Terrick FitzHugh" at the end best.
Have just thought, old thing - be very careful you don't take a job you're going to hate - will you? - I thought perhaps these "Times" adverts & wanting me so badly - you might.
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