Letter from Edward Thomas to his wife, Helen Thomas. Archival reference: 424/1/1/1/1/148
LINCOLN COLLEGE
OXFORD

13.ii.1900

My dearest Friend

I saw very little of
Haynes ; & he only stayed from
Saturday afternoon to Monday morning.
You see, he was the guest of a Balliol
man , & spent most of his time
seeing people he had not seen
since he left. He was not
looking well & was not in
particularly good form. He alluded
to the Family Bible which he
is suling (sic) over, because he wants
it illustrated & does not quite

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am with him , I feel & probably
appear much older, stupidly
old , ludicrously paternal or
avuncular (avunculus = uncle, in
Latin) . He is interested in birds
eggs , but even there I can no
longer show sympathy, though
with a desperate hope of
interesting him I have given him
a copy of the Woodland Life which
I picked up at a sale. But my
methods are too crude : the charm
I may possibly have among my
Equals vanishes when I am
with my (intellectual) inferiors.
The caryatids struck me at

know where to look. I am glad
you have got over the business
of saddling the infant with a name.

I didn't know if had
Ever mentioned Lucy Elsey to you.
Unfortunately (for selfish me) he
is a very great favourite , &
Especially with men whose relations
with boys were rather disreputable
at school; so that I shall most
likely never become a close friend to
him the victim of a vice

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under ordinary circumstances
contemptible. He is anxiously
awaiting Gwen's parcel. Since
I know I can't represent &
Girl. You are right about
my features; & yet I believe
that the total impression of
my face is feminine naturally.

Later
Elsey has just been to tea - and
gone. How I wish he had not gone , &
that I had the power (that Every
average schoolboy here possesses) to
interest him! So far from receiving
some of his freshness & charm , when I
LINCOLN COLLEGE
OXFORD

very poor, tho a proof would
have made it quite another
thing.

The snow is now falling
thick , & there has been excellent
skating everywhere for a week.

On Thursday the tripids begin, &
tho rejoicing at our probable
success, I am already calculating
how Elsey's prominence at
the Bump Supper will move
than ever take away from my
chances with him. But how
thoroughly morbid I am grown -
as morbid, tho not as dirty
as John Addington Symonds.

Goodbye : Give kisses
from me to Philip Merfyn -

I am Ever & Wholeyours (sic)
my own sweet little one,
Edwy.