CHAPTER FIVE – THE LETTERS OF LOVE - B
Envelope dated 28 Aug 1934, stamped Exmouth then restamped Eastbourne 29 Aug 1934 Eastbourne, Sussex
Code to reverse of envelope in box
1-24-59
Addressed to Miss Christiane Gibbs, c/o Mrs Frank Scallon, 15 South Cliff Avenue, Eastbourne, Sussex then redirect to, Little St Johns,Collington Avenue, Bexhill-on-Sea on 29 Aug 1934.
On paper embossed paper with his address as shown below -------------------------------
63, St. Andrew’s Road,
Exmouth,
Devon.
Tuesday evening
My own darling little girl,
Auntie Mim and Gouverneur have gone out to the Pictures to see “Evergreen”, you know the one we saw at Exeter, but had to come out early and here am I alone in the house with you and crinkly pipe. My darling, before I say anything else, thank you terribly much for the lovely gift you sent me. I am carrying it now, and shall carry it always. I am so glad the boy did not care for it. From what I can hear, there must be very little he does care for, but I know what he ought to get but am too polite to tell you about it. Auntie Mim is splendid and loves you so very much and so does Uncle Hugh. We always have two friends in them. Gouverneur is dreadful and either feigns old age, or tiredness, or worry or work, or any excuse he can think of. My dear one, I wish I know what to do about it all. He is just getting a bitter and soured old man now, and it does make it so unpleasant.
My love, you must not lose heart, as that cannot help, and only makes both of us sad. Things cannot just drift on, and I am sure we shall come to some sort of certainty soon.
How can I comfort you? You know that I shall always love you and honour you and be so proud of you for ever and ever, and that there will never be anyone else. Yes, my dear, the moon was glorious and I expect our memories were very much the same. “What’s good for the gander, you know”. I have got my new ukulele, and it is a beauty. Just what I have always wanted. But I have no-one to serenade now. Little girl, Auntie Mim has said that I may go to Stowe Cottage whenever I like, so I shall see lots of you if you go there to stay. Mrs Bradshaw was delighted to get your letter and will soon be sending you the blue sweater which we chose. She hand-finished it and is just doing the tie. I would love to see the little cottage and the flowers and the girl with the flowers, and the red which makes your eyes ache at night.
Tomorrow I go to Seaton for Revision Courts, and Gouverneur goes to the Races, and I pick him up there afterwards.
Today it was Sidmouth and Benchams, where you had the tomatoes. Rain all day, and the pool looked as desolate this morning. It needed someone else for buns (?) and things. This afternoon we came across Woodbury Common, and Auntie Mim asked if we had had any picnics there! We had more than picnics.
My love, the future is going to be so wonderful, and well, I am sure, make up for all the very unnecessary suffering. Just think of it, to be together always. I want nothing more. Goodnight, girl, and you must come to Seaton with me tomorrow, but no talking to the Chauffeur. All my love is centred in you – no one else ever, my darling. And just one glass of water and then tears don’t come. They ought to.
Goodnight again, my wonderful little woman.
Always your very man
Jeffery
nvelope address to Miss Christiane Gibbs, at Little St Johns, Collington AVnue, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex. Stamped Exmouth 29 Aug 1934
Code on back of envelope in box
J.G
1-24.59
--------------------
The Office
Wednesday
My darling little Girl
Just a hurried note while the Gouverneur is out of the Office, getting a shave. What a fool I was to send the letters to Eastbourne, but I thought that you were going there on Monday last. I am so glad, however, that you got the letters safely. Auntie Mim is working very hard for us, and you will remember the old saying about the constant dropping of water. The inference is obvious. You know, presently the Gouverneur will find himself high and dry, with no friends at all. He is really being such an ass.
I shall drive by our signpost* this morning, and will stop just underneath it and say a little prayer of thankfulness for whoever it was sent you to me, and who thus gave me the big happiness in my life. I am hearing such a lot about you and the whirl of gaiety which goes on at Bexhill on Sea. My dear One, I do so love these moments which we have to ourselves and which no one can take from us.
*The one which points to happiness and love.
Do you feel inclined to write Mrs Aspinall a little note? I am sure she would appreciate it very much. Her address is :-No. 16, The Beacon, Exmouth. I think that later she might be of some assistance to us. My darling, all my thoughts will be with you when you go to London. The real visit will be when we go there together as Mr. and Mrs, and I bet I shall blush when I sign the register. I love the books by Anstey. I have read Vice Versa dozens of times and I never get tired of it. Your photograph is smiling at me as I am typing this letter, and I know it is saying that you are going to be so happy and brave about everything. I think that Eileen (his sister) may be help to us when she comes down, and I shall certainly do my best to see that she appreciates the real point of view, which is ours.
Here comes the big man now, so I must close, but remember I am thinking of you always and loving you each minute of the day.
All my love to you, my dear One.
Jeffrey
____________________________________
10C
Handwritten letter-----
Aug.29, 1934
Bexhill
My darling Man
I am in an awful fix and really don’t know what to do. I do so want your advice on everything. I saw Captain Charles and his wife and they will have me but shall I have them, that is the question. I only asked for £50 and that divided by 12 does not make much a month. There seem to be no regular hours, my duties being all day long with three apparently backward children and lastly my holidays would be 10 days at Christmas, 10 days at Easter and 3 weeks in the summer. Frankly, awaiting all that time to see you - only 10 days (2 of which would be spent in travelling) seems hardly worthwhile and I am afraid that I could not stand it. My darling, tell me exactly what you think about it.
My dear man, if this were not England how gladly I would be anything, even a parlourmaid, if the place could be Exeter. What is so awful is this not being able to see each other except for these short periods over which hangs the shadow of the parting. I am afraid I haven’t much courage.
Good-night my darling, how I wait for your letters! They help me so much.
-lipstick kiss-
Christiane.
--------------------------------------------------------------
11C
Aug. 30, 1934
My dear Big Man,
How happy I was to get your two letters this morning! When we can talk alone together it helps such a lot, as it always has.
You know that when I was feeling silly it always vanished after being alone with you and now it is the same. I am so glad you gave me Mrs. Aspinall’s address, I had been wanting to write to her.
I am so glad to feel that Auntie Mim is with you, she, at least, makes up a little bit for Gouverneur’s unpleasantness. It is so hopeless and discouraging when one tires so hard, to be met with this childish jealous attitude, but there it is, and I know, my darling, that it doesn’t help to complain. I shall close this tonight just before going to bed for it does help things if I can come for my glass of water and my good-night kiss. I am with you now, just after breakfast, and it is such a comfort to be able to talk to you my dear brave man.
I wrote to Uncle Hugh last night asking his advice about that governess job, but I feel sure that I don’t want it. If we are to be apart, the holidays must make up for the rest. If nothing turns up I shall go to Stowe Cottage and I know they don’t mind. I am a coward, but somehow at Stowe Cottage I feel closer to you.
I should like a school in Malvern even with no pay to begin with. I know that on those terms I could probably get something here at Bexhill or in Eastbourne but somehow I feel too far from you. If I am close to Stowe Cottage then we have such an ideal meeting ground where we shall be surrounded by love, sympathy and understanding.
Woodbury, dear Woodbury, and the front and our dear little nest. Oh my darling man, to have your love is so wonderful and I wouldn’t trade places with any other girl in this world.
I am leaving you for a little while, my darling boy, and shall come to you again just before “bed for girls.”
Here I am again and am I sleepy! My eyes are closing. Good night my dear man you have been so much with me all day long.
My darling, things must come right, and ‘Gouverneur’ will have to come to his senses sooner or later.
In any case we must meet again very soon, if possible at Stowe Cottage. Wouldn’t it be wonderful going for walks in the beautiful little villages we both love. I have seen very beautiful moons there also, and have often thought of you as I looked at them.
Today was fairly quiet for Bexhill. In the morning we went shopping, accompanied by the children and walked home along the front. This afternoon we all went for a very lovely walk across the common. There was some heather and I thought of Woodbury and of the little piece which is now snuggling in my handbag. After tea, I worked at my cosy which is rapidly advancing then I played ping pong with Francis (her cousin) and was, as usual, beaten. To-night we played whist and bridge and I thought of our dear little two-handed game.
My darling, when you go to the pool don’t forget to have a bun for me, you know I am really sitting there, admiring my own diver. I see him now blowing bubbles all over the place.
I haven’t bathed here and somehow I don’t want to. Bathing, to me, is so much connected with you that it seems a sacrilege to do it with others. Besides, I should have to remove my ring and I don’t want to do that till we are together at the pool once more.
My dear man, for your sake, I will be a brave and sensible girl, when I am with you I never can be foolish very long and I am with you now so much; every evening it helps so to say good-night like this.
Good-night again my darling, I could go on forever, I never have enough and never shall.
It is such happiness to be your woman and such a source of strength
-lipstick kiss-
Christiane
--------------------------------------------------------------
12J
Envelope addressed to Miss Christiane Gibbs, at Little St Johns, Collington AVnue, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex. Stamped Exmouth 31 Aug 1934
Typed letter on foolscap paper--------------------------------------
The Office,
Wednesday. 3.45. p.m.
My own darling Figgy,
I am so very glad that the weather has turned milder to-day. I do not like to think of you with only that little gas fire in the very cold weather. We have bought another electric fire for the dining-room. It cost 8/6d, and is very much better than the old one which we have had for so long and which was so very expensive to run. The new one, which is like one I saw at Dimond’s house at Honiton, last night, costs about 1d. an hour to run.
I shall try very hard and come up on Friday. We have an Annual Meeting at Feniton in the evening, but Miss Acland, who, as you know, lives there, is coming to tea with us in the afternoon, and I think she will be able to motor Guv’nor there with her, and, after the meeting, he will be able to get a train into Exeter, where I can meet him and take him home.
I had another encounter with him this morning, and gave it to him straight from the shoulder. I told him how little it would mean for him and how much it would be for us if he only extended to you a kind word or a friendly gesture, and I told him that it was really only a little bit of foolish pride which was preventing him. I have strong hopes that, in time I shall be able to break him down. In any case, his castle will fall before mine and yours. I told him straight that what he wanted to do was to break up everything, but that he would never be able to do that, and I think it took the wind a little out of his sails to realise that we know what his little game was. It is lovely to be able to write to you like this, and I shall try and do every day I possibly can, if you do not mind the typewriter. Every time I sit down I think of you, for reasons which you will understand, but which my well-known modesty prevents me setting down in type. They certainly do make a very big difference, and I ought to have had them months ago, but I did not think of the dual idea.
(I WILL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE, BUT I THINK THIS REFERS TO ITEMS OF UNDERWEAR SENT BY MY MOTHER)
Tonight we go to Honiton again, and then on to Awliscombe, which I do not think you have yet visited in your travels. We have to go via Sidmouth and pick up Mrs Lake, who you met, both at the Garden Meeting in the summer and at the Children’s Party the other day.
This is a splendid typewriter I have got now, and I can get along twice as fast as I can with my ordinary one, and I do not make nearly so many mistakes. I shall try and get the firm to exchange this one for my own, or else try and get the office to buy one similar to this. I think you would find it easier also, as the shift keys are in the proper place for your style of typing. I have been doing a lot of envelopes this afternoon, and I wish you had been here to help me. It is lovely and warm in the big room, and, as there seem to be very few humans about this afternoon, it might possibly be that the work would be interspersed with other activities of a pleasanter nature.
I am not worrying a bit about Guv’nor. and I do not want you to worry either. As I said before, I can confident that we shall be able to bring him round sooner or later, and for the present we must just bide our time.
Good-by for now, my darling figgy, and remember it is “you, only you always, for ever and for ever”, to quote a popular song, which happens to fit the present case exactly.
All my love to you, my own Girl
Duff
Oh! you nasty man!!
Envelope address to Miss Christiane Gibbs, at Little St Johns, Collington AVnue, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex. Stamped Exmouth 30 Aug 1934 Code in box to revers J.G 1-2459
First Typed letter --------------------------------------
The Office,
Thursday evening,
My darling little Girl,
You certainly did stand in need of a guide philosopher and friend in London yesterday, and I only wish that I could have been there to put you on the right road. My darling, we have got to be very brave about things. Auntie Mim has had a talk to Gouverneur, and I am afraid that there is not the slightest chance of his relenting enough to permit us to live in the same house with him, at the moment anyway. It simply remains for us to wait until such time as you and I both feel that I have done my duty by him, and then we shall have the added joy of having a little home of our very own.
I am convinced that, in the long run, however much as at the moment it might seem for the best, the arrangement of our sharing the house would not work out for the best, as I can see constant friction, not through any fault of yours, but simply because Gouverneur is Gouverneur, and is now rather an embittered, soured man. You have told me often in what direction you think my duty lies. Little girl, I am terribly sorry to have to break this news to you, but I am sure that you would much rather that I told you everything, and did not buoy you up with any false hopes, which would only lead to great disappointment afterwards. After all, my dear one, we are both quite young yet, and we have many, many years of happiness in front of us, so that even if we have to wait for two year, we shall reap the benefit of it one hundred-fold at the end of that time. My darling, I could not have you living in the same house as the Gouverneur, and having him constantly reproaching you with everything, and for both of us it would be a continual strain, however much we might pretend that it was not. I am sorry that this not a very cheery letter, but as I have said, I am never going to have any secrets from you, and am always going to tell you straight out exactly what is the position. Surely, this is evidence of my love for you.
Yesterday, I visited our signpost. I stopped there for quite a while, and you can guess what my thoughts were. When I arrived there, there was a robin sitting on top of the arm which points to Salcombe Regis, and I was able to entice him down with some beef sandwiches which I had brought with me.
This afternoon, I took Auntie Mim over to Budleigh, where I had a Revision Court, and then we went on up to Haldon to pick up the Gouverneur who was at the Races. I just got up there in time for the last races, and backed a winner. The Old man backed a loser for the same race. Tonight, Auntie Mim and I are going to see a play called “On Approval”, and tomorrow we are taking her down to Torquay, where she wants to look up one of her ”cases”. Little Girl, you may be sure that when the time comes for us to be officially Mr. and Mrs, Auntie Mim and Uncle Hugh will do all in their power to make things as easy and as simple as possible, and we shall then have the satisfaction of knowing that we have done our duty, and we shall have no consciences to worry us. I hate to think of you having to undergo an interview. As if anyone could find any fault with you at all ! If you are ever in London again, and want somewhere to go and rest, Selfridges, of Oxford Street, have splendid rest and writing rooms, and if you simply want to rest, The Regent Palace Hotel, just off Piccadilly has an excellent lounge, but beware of strange men as the place is notorious. I am so sorry about Eve. She certainly has a lot to answer for. Appropriate is spelt with two ”p”s , at any rate by the best people, or rather on second thoughts, I should say three “p”s.
There is a chance that I may be able to get away for a couple of days in the next month, but it is not certain, and you may be quite sure I shall let you know as soon as I know anything definite myself. My little Girl, I am afraid that we have to resign ourselves to the fact that there can be no wedding bells for us at the moment, but any delay is never going to make any difference at all to us – it can’t.
I am your and you are mine, world without end, Amen.
And now I must say good night to you, my darling, and am sending you such a lot of kissed,
All my love to you, my dear One,
Your very own boy
Jeffrey
Typed letter
The Office,
Friday,
My dear Little Girl,
Thank you, my darling, so very much for your letter, and I can quite see the dilemma in which you are placed. My advice to you, under the circumstances, would be to take the present situation, if you think you can stand it, until Christmas, when Auntie Mim tells me that you will able to go to a school at Malvern. This would mean that you get a long holiday at Christmas, as, in addition to getting the 10 days about which you speak, you would also get the School holiday, which is usually in about a month.
The enclosed came this morning, and I opened it, thinking it might be important. I am afraid that there is nothing we can do about this sort of thing, and we shall simply have to store all such gifts until the great day. My love this must be a brief note, as I am under Gouverneur’s eye, but I will try and write again to-day. All my love to you, my wonderful woman.
Always your very own,
Jeffrey
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15J
Envelope address to Miss Christiane Gibbs, at Little St Johns, Collington AVnue, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex. Stamped Exmouth looks like 3 Sept 1934………
The Office,
Monday evening.
My darling little Girl,
I was so very glad to get your two letters this morning, and I do enjoy reading about what you are doing. This afternoon, I gave been delivering magazines, and Auntie Mim has been with me. Very nice, but how different from the last time!
And now, little girl, we must come to business. I can see by the tone of your letters to me and by what Auntie Mim has told me that things are far from satisfactory, and it is my duty to clear them up once and for all. First of all, I want to tell you quite definitely that nothing in the world will every make the slightest difference to our ultimate happiness. It is quite certain that I shall have to remain at Exmouth for at least two years, and after that we shall be free to make a new home for ourselves. I do not want you to think for one moment that I shall be unhappy at Exmouth during that time. The only thing that makes me worry at all is to hear that you are not settling down to what we had decided upon, namely that we must accept the situation as it now is, and accept it cheerfully. The Gouverneur has been quite a different man of late, and I can be quite happy living with him and helping him during the time that is necessary for us to wait. My dear One, I do not want to be hard upon you, but you are creating unnecessary worry and difficulty, where none exists, and you really must settle down seriously to accepting the fact that we have to wait. I know that you received cruel treatment when you were here, but it will not help matters at all if you are constantly lashing yourself into a fury, and making yourself, myself and everyone else miserable in the bargain. You are such a sensible little girl really. Auntie Mim and Uncle Hugh have been very worried about you, and it remains for you to relieve them of that worry. Can’t you see, little girl, that we shall in reality be building future happiness for ourselves? You have said so often that you would do anything I asked you, and I now ask you very definitely to settle down. Try and forget about Gouverneur, and please realise that he is not treating me as a slave, and is not trying to crush our love or my ambition. I am sure that given time, he will do all in our power to help us. I expect you think from the tone of this letter that he has been getting at me and influencing me. Such is not the case, and what I have said I say from my own point of view and from the point of view of your ultimate happiness. My darling, can’t you see that you are not helping anyone by your present attitude, you are worrying yourself and therefore are worrying me, which I know is the last thing in the world you would want to do. Please remember that I am just as strong a man as Gouverneur, and he will never be able to put anything across me. Auntie Mim tells me that there is an assured position, and a good one, for you at Malvern after Christmas. She has said that you may stay with her as long as convenient for you, but you must not make her life and yours a misery by worrying constantly about a state of things which does not exist. Remember always, that I am quite happy here at Exmouth with Gouverneur, and I am happy because I have the knowledge that you have given me your love. Won’t you rely upon me to do the best thing and to know what is best for you and me? I love having your letters, of course, but they cannot help making me unhappy when I hear you say that you cannot settle down to anything and that you are getting desperate.
All these things which you are thinking and saying about Gouverneur are just the creatures of your poor overwrought imagination and really, although he treated you shamefully, he has always been decent to me, and we can live together quite happily until such time as I can make you Mrs Jeffery. There can be no question of my leaving Exmouth for the next two years and, my dear, I know you will allow me to be director of ceremonies as far as we are concerned.
I hope from what I have said that you will realise that you must make an immediate effort to be happy and not to think about Gouverneur at all, and you must realise that I am quite happy here, knowing I have your love.
Please when you go to Auntie Mim at the end of the week be cheerful and be your natural dear self, and do not cause them any unnecessary worry.
I shall be eagerly awaiting your reply to this letter, and all I want you to say is “Yes”, and I can then be perfectly and absolutely happy, until then I can only feel worried and unsettled. We are not letting things drift, but are slowly planning to a definite end, and the way out is perfectly clear to me, and it must be to you also.
If I did not love you so much, I could get angry with you but I know it is not your real self, and that you have been overwrought. Little girl, do have faith in me to do the right thing and to know that is best for both of us. I am sure that after you have read this letter, thing will be bright again for you, and please do not talk any more about condemned men or anything like that ( unless, of course, you do it in fun !) . I hope that I have spoken strongly enough, as I meant to, as you must realise that at the moment you are not doing yourself justice and you are creating quite a love of mistery.
AND NOW Will you please MEET ME AT Stowe Cottage on Saturday night next. Yes, I shall really be there, and shall be able to stay until Tuesday at any rate. My XXXXXX darling I am counting the XXXXXXX moments, and am so excited that, as you can see, I cannot even type properly.
And after that, I must say good-bye until Saturday, but I shall be so relieved to have your “Yes” as soon as possible.
With l;l my love, my darling, and lots of kisses
Your very own boy,
Jeffrey
Saturday!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enveloped addressed to Miss Christiane Gibbs, c/o Mrs Frank Scallon, 15, South Cliff Avenue, Eastbourne, Sussex.
Date stamped Exmouth 4th September 1934
Code in box to reverse J.G 1-24.15
Envelope includes a Jeffrey R Gibbs calling card with handwritten additions shown in italics as below
Stowe Cottage
Great Comberton
Mrs Jeffrey R. Gibbs
at Home
Saturday, September 8th
R.S.V.P.
The Office,
Tuesday afternoon.
My own darling little Girl,
Your last two letters have made me very happy indeed, as they have, in effect, accepted all that I tried to say to you in my letter of yesterday, and really made that letter quite pointless, except perhaps for the last paragraphs.
I am so glad that you have become reconciled, and that it will be possible for you to be happy in the time that we have to wait, and I am equally sure that you will find that, in the end, we have done wisely I not precipitation matters.
I can hardly contain myself until Saturday, but fortunately we have a fairly full programme this week, and so the time will not pass so slowly. I am planning to start from Exmouth very early on Saturday morning, so that I can arrive at Stowe Cottage at such time as will give us a whole and complete day together. I shall be coming up in the car, which will make matters so much easier all the way round, and will enable me to take you to Worcester and show you round the Old School (You Cad !), and all the places I used to visit when I was there. Also, we might go over to Coventry and pay a visit to Eileen, and there are no end to the possibilities when you have a car.
I expect I shall be able to stay until Tuesday, and of course I should not leave until the late afternoon, so that would practically give us another whole day together. My dear one, it is going to be so very wonderful, with no more tears and just happy sunny smiles all the time. I will bring up my new ukulele for you to see, but I cannot promise to serenade you just yet, as I have not fully mastered the intricacies of it, but I have full confidence that I shall rapidly improve.
I shall be bringing up your blue sweater with me. It is almost finished, and Joan was sewing it up last night while I was talking to her, while Mrs B. was finishing the dark blue tie.
Tonight we are all going over to Sidmouth to the pictures. Auntie Mim and Uncle Hugh to one picture house and Gouverneur and I to the other, as we have seen the film that Auntie Mim wants to see.
Uncle Hugh is suffering from his customary mal-de-mer, and really it is misery for him to be anywhere near the sea. They are returning to Stowe C. tomorrow, and I suppose you will travel there on Thursday or Friday. “And now”, as Tessa said to Lewis in “The Constant Nymph”, “don’t die, or get married, or anything like that, before Saturday, will you?”
Au revoir, my dear One, and remember,
NO MORE RADIATORS !
All my love is concentrated
And centered in you.
Your loving boy, Man
Jeffrey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Handwritten Post Card to Miss Christiane Gibbs, C/o F Scallon Esq, 15, Southcliff Avenue, Eastbourne, Sussex
Date stamped Exmouth 6 Sept 1934------------------------
St Andrews Road
Exmouth
Thursday. (very early)
You will have got my wire, and, I hope, will be able to go to Comberton tomorrow, Friday. It seems a pity to waste a whole precious day on Saturday, and London is impossible for me.
I shall get to Stowe C. as early as possible, starting from here in the very early morning. You will have heard from Auntie Mim also re. Friday.
Jeffrey
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Their three weeks of separation were to end with a joyful reunion at Stowe Cottage, but it was overshadowed when Fate dealt my mother the cruellest of blows.