Old Vicarage School
Richmond
Tuesday
I've come to the conclusion that being in love can be compared with running in a steeplechase - except that the competitive spirit is practically absent. Everybody has their own special course and they all run side by side starting from where you think you've fallen in love and running straight on until you die. You both set off on beautifully, smooth, weedless green turf, holding tight to the reins and feeling a bit self-conscious because you've never ridden before - and the hedges that divide you from other people doing the same are high, so you don't see them. And as you do cantering along (sometimes, when occasion demands, breaking into a trot of a gallop) the turf gets a bit thin and dead in patches, or you have to jump small ditches of water and recover on the other bank, having had a nasty shock in the process. But the going improves again and you decide to stick a bit closer to the person trotting beside you in case he should have an accident and to prevent yourself having one. And then you get married and the hedges between your course and those of your contemporaries get lower and lower and you discover they're cantering or galloping just like you are - only perhaps some of them have rougher patches of turf on wider ditches of water; and some get left behind and some try to gallop too soon, and some just stand still on a nice green patch and ride their horses round and round in a circle.
Some courses are untidy and dead and full of little ditches and little jumps - and some are smooth and green for a long, long way with suddenly big ditch or a big jump - and some of the courses have been followed so often that the ditches are dry & the jumps are worn down, so its just ups and downs which make you decide its wiser to walk separately along each edge and take no notice of each other.
And we all go trotting gaily on and pick ourselves up and brush bits of grass off our clothes, and laugh at the funny sights we must look and feel much better fr the jolting - and the turf seems greener and smoother and our neighbours fade into nothingness - and we get off our horses sometimes to make the journey last longer - and when the next ditch comes we courteously help each other across and have left it far behind in the distance before we realised what a wide one it was.
Amen
Wednesday
I went to a rehearsal last night so couldn't apologize for my lengthy and somewhat involved prologue. All I can hope is that you get this when you've got a nice lot of time and patience upon you.
We all reminded each other that the performance was on Friday week last night and consequently they've put rehearsals on Monday, Tuesday & Thursday next week - so I'm afraid it rather knocks our Monday evening out, But I'm coming up on Sunday to one from 2.30 - 6.30 with a gap until 8.30. If I get the car can I come and see you for an hour at Earl's Court? - or don't you think it would really be worth it - and I might impede your feverish typing!
I forgot to ask you last weekend how the Communism had gone? Did you go round with your pieces of chalk at dead of night? I went Bill sticking last Thursday at 11.30 for the B.D.L. thing.
We had a wonderful evening on Monday at "Lady Precious Stream" - I loved it - I want to go again and take Mummy. Do you know anything about the P.N.T. run by Nancy Price? I should rather like to join.
The Thespians are thinking of doing "Fresh Fields" in May - but we're simply dry for anything young in male form - I suppose Renny wouldn't join?
Well, I shall miss you this evening but I will try and make do with Mr Lees. I hop you get this because I don't a bit know when you leave Manchester.
don't work yourself to death - and don't forget to ask for the rise! Am getting on with the postponed German lesson and I love you very much.
Yours
Mary Pleasant Ormiston
xxx
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