Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from Wick Green, Petersfield, Hampshire. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/169
Wick Green
Petersfield

1 ix 12

My dear Gordon,
Thank you for your letter. I didn't mean it to wear out
a month in my pocket either & think before I wrote back. But first
I went to Clifford Bed's & pretended to play cricket with 10 others for
a week, nice people & moderate cricketers. Then Mervyn &
I went bicycling through Sussex & Kent & saw de la Mare
& W H Davies & V. Locke Ellis (don't you like his poem in
'Root & Branch'?. Since then I have been typing a little
book in 'The Country" I have done for a new series &
expecting work which never comes. Now I am going to
look for it in London & then spend 5 or 6 days in Swansea
collecting more impressions for an essay on the town
which the English Review will be good enough to look at.
I suppose the winter will come as usual & that something will
have happened by then or will seem like happening. I
am at present only wondering what will happen. Evidently
I can't get a living by writing, unless I content myself
with far less than I have got used to Personally I could, but
the children's schooling etc makes a great change hard until it is
compulsory. Well I sure know what to think of
apart from writing. I occasionally allow my mind to
wander towards some such thing as canvassing for advertisements
& similar occupations for superfluous people, but not
quite seriously yet. Now & then I remember that I am
34 & ought to stand alone & help myself & keep silent,
but I really still feel as I did 12 years ago that people
ought to help or might help me to solve my difficulties although
I have no claims (has anyone?) & although I know that it is
really impossible to help the helpless except by a substantial legacy.
However, will the winter bring you near Dorking?
If so I shall come over, try to persuade you to come to us.
I look forward to it, so does Helen. Tell us when you are
coming & where you are to be found. If I get to town as I
do now when it is fine I can take Dorking on my way.
With our love to you and Emily
Ever yours
Edward Thomas