Letter from Edward Thomas to his wife, Helen Thomas. Archival reference: 424/1/1/1/1/107
LINCOLN COLLEGE
OXFORD
12.v.99
11pm
My Dear Helen
Haynes has just been up here talking for a long time about us. He is a sensitive and imaginative man; but he has also a strong sense of humour and is very practical, he looks at things from a very practical point of view.
He is much concerned for me, of course he has had a lot of experience, but in this particular matter is in much the same position as myself. Still, he is inclined to think there is a remote

Excuse my brutality, but I feel he is reasonable; certainly he is eager to help. I am trying to get literary work of some kind and I have just written asking Perris if I can review for the Speaker; or if he can introduce me to Literature as he promised to do when that paper was started last year. I should jump at any offer of this nature which Mrs. Morgan or Mr. Potbury might make.
Goodbye for now, my dearest friend.
Yours and wholly yours Edwy
Adieu.
possibility that you are mistaken and that you cannot be
certain until the end of this month. For this reason and
for others, he suggests you should see a doctor. I must
confess that the idea of a child is very repulsive to him,
and to use his own expression "it ought to be got rid of".
Well, he thinks that even now it is not to [sic] late to do
this, and that anyhow a doctor could give you advice. . . .
As I said he is very clearheaded & thinks my career here
must come to an end if the chance of a child is not done
away with, only I cannot borrow a big sum of money. He
is anxious to help and says he can help when he is once in
business - at the end of the year; until then, he says, if
things came to the worst, his father would lend me £100, but says he does not envy me the task of "confessing" to his father, who is cynical and worldly wise. What he does insist on, is that you should see a doctor, & find out if by
some means or another it is not possible to destroy all risk
of a child.