16 April
16 April
16 April 1920
My own Bogey
Your Saturday afternoon letter is here about King John. Its such a dull old play, too. How horrid that you must do it. I simply long to read your article on James. What I saw in The Times horrified me -arrogant, monstrous pomposity - even from early youth. I thought the article was a hit of fearful pretentiousness too and not worth a brass farden. James makes me ashamed for real artists. He's a pompazoon. I am thankful we never received any favours. They can keep him - & then holding up his shocked hands at Thomas Hardy. How great Hardy is beside the other. Oh, I do hope you will speak your mind & put all right for those who are frightened to say.
Yesterday I went to the Oceanographical Museum & Aquarium at Monaco. It was one of those experiences which make you stamp with fury because you are not sharing it. I wanted to telegraph you to promise that one day we'd spend a whole week in Monaco together & live in this place. My dearest - one is richer for life by such a museum. The AQUARIUM finished me & I had to lean over a tank of slumbering tortoises & weep because of the fishes I had seen & the worm high worm built forests. Ive got the guide for you. Ill show it you one Sunday afternoon. The little town of Monaco is the cleanest on earth I should think. You must see the palace courtyard with its cannons & cannonballs (all toy) pepper trees, limes & plantanes ancients in green with red facings, gold lace shoulders & hats like that. Tis a sweet place. [To J. M. Murry in Collected Letters]