23 Feb
23 Feb
23 February 1920
Darling
[. . .] We came back through pine forests, past Cap Martin & then at the edge of the brimming sea. Ive never heard of Monte before - never dreamed there was such a place. Now I want to go to the rooms & see it all. Its dreadful but its fascinating to me. We stopped the carriage outside the cafe & waited for about five minutes. I thought of the Heron & OUR life - & I thought how strange it was that at the Heron I should no doubt write a story about that woman over there that ancient long nosed whore with a bag made of ostrich feathers - I wonder if youd like to see such a thing. Would you? I dont in the least know. Cruelty is there - & vultures hover - & the devil waiters wear queer peaked caps to hide their horns. Its another dead calm gorgeous summer - June - day - as I write - perfect weather! I wish you shared that at any rate. Take care of yourself my own - and dont forget for a moment how perfect our house is going to be. It will be far better than we imagined in the past because all is different now. No, I can never forget anything of what has happened because it has changed everything but I dont regret it. It had to be.
Your own
Wig.
I can get a lovely coat here I find, so don't forget to wire me if I must not expect the other, but parcils do take 3 weeks from Paris.
[Across top of letter]
Re the New Forest I was talking about it to Cousin Connie last night & she says its so difficult to get anything on gravel - and that gravel is the most important thing. One might as well dig a grave as live on clay. [To J.M. Murry in Collected Letters]