Letter from Thomas MacGreevy to George Yeats. 9 December 1927.

[p.1 recto]

Ecole Normale Superieure
45 rue d'Ulm
Paris Vme
9th December, 1927

DearestGeorge

Everyone keeps telling me you are at Cannes but noone sends your address so this will have to go north before it goes south which is absurd. I have no news of you either. Tinche said you were leaving for a place which owing to his writing seemed to me possibly either Seville or Sicily and your mother and Mrs. Shakespeare and Alan report you at Cannes and also that W.B.Y. hasn't been as well as he should be — before I go on I should say that I hope you will tell me if it would be any pleasure to him or do him any good if it would be any help to you if I came down at Xmas. I'll have a full week at least, possibly, or even 9 days and I have decided fairly definitely not to leave Paris for London, Devonshire, etc — there's the ocean apart from anything else. But I'll manage to come and be glad and happy to manage, if I can be of any use to either of you at Christmas (or any time). You have only to send[p.1 verso] the word. There are èlèves from round there who would put me on to some quiet place to stay — don't think I suggest coming as your guest — it must be expensive enough on you down there with everything.

I haven't much news. I have innumerable pupils, had 3 weeks of neuralgia but managed to bring myself to face a dentist who ridded me of abscesses and the one tooth that was causing all the trouble. Then either the abscesses or a mosquito bite ^{combined with brand new ??sock} (Florence Sept 19th) which still refuses to disappear spread to my arm and I had a few slight trials with that. But all is well now. I feel splendid again thank Heaven and have no obstacles in my way bar the enthusiastic Anglicists who though individually nearly all are rather endearing and make one glad to be of use to them are so numerous that they take up a great deal of time. I am writing very little, but am preparing the poems for the (Hogarth) Press — probably. I am finishing La Chartreuse de Parme begun while I was low — very delightful and should not be read in English. If you have not read it before (or W.B.) a nice edition for reading is Crès, 1922, 2 vols, 20 frs the 2. Its not intellectually exciting, but its about well brought up people which is pleasant once in a way, and Balzac was very genuinely enthusiastic about it. I can send it if you like.

You will have heard that Dolche has gone into Harry Clarke's glass works. I suppose if she is satisfied it's the main thing. But I wonder about it, the stained glass spinsters of Dublin And I always[p.1 recto] hoped that she'd nerve herself to risk Paris on her ½2 a week for a year or so. One thing that will be good for both herself & Harry Clarke is that nothing will ever make her able to imitate his manner. I have one or two small bits of gossip but I don't like to write 'em.

My love to you both my dears.

And if I can be of any use here or at Cannes tell me.

Tom.

I hope you realise that you can get Macedonia cigarettes at all French Tabacs.