1887-12-22 to Mary Blake Moore

Autograph letter signed, National Library of Ireland, 406 words

[Edited for paragraph breaks, capitalization, spelling and punctuation.]

Freshcombe Lodge, Beeding, Sussex

[Thursday] December 22nd [1887]

My dear Mother

The pony arrived here quite safe and has been much admired. If you will let me know how much you paid for her passage to London, I will send you a cheque for the amount. Pray do this.

I have now taken up my abode, I hope for good, in Sussex. I wrote Julian a long letter descriptive of my life here so there is no use in redescribing it. I am very fond of my friends and have entirely adopted their life — have said in fact thy people shall be my people, thy god shall be my god. I put on a high hat, take my umbrella and march to church every Sunday. I do not believe but I love protestantism; if it is not the faith of my brain it is the faith of my heart. You will not, I know, feel much sympathy in these sentiments but you will agree with me that it is better to acquiesce in outward forms than to protest and so give scandal and offence. I have had some chances of marrying but I do not think I shall ever marry.

My books continue to sell pretty well. I am now writing a novel called Spring Days. it will begin to appear in a daily paper The Evening News when I have written the first half. It is light and gay, different in tone to any of my other works.

Tell Julian to write to me. I need not say that I am more sorry than I can say that he will do nothing, that he is content to lead a life of weak idleness. Were I he I would do something, conte qui conte.

When I have finished my novel I think I shall go south — a friend has offered me her villa at Menton, and I shall require a rest for I have been and am working very hard indeed: I shall not have a day or an hour that I can really call my own before April.

Maurice is nicer and sweeter than anyone I ever knew of, heard of, read of or imagined. It is awful to think that we shall not see him again for years.

Affect yours

George Moore