Letter from Edward Thomas to his wife, Helen Thomas. Archival reference: 424/1/1/1/1/171
the effects of Saturday. He then returned to finish his paper
on Miracle Mays which I have been helping him to write for
the Davenant. In the afternoon I took a long walk with
O'Brien and Curran to Godstow where there is a charming
old inn called the Trout, covered with blue periwinkle flowers;
near by is the nunnery of fair Rosamund and the river flows
between. This time I did nearly all the talking; for Curran had
been fearfully bad the night before.

I am going to write a volume of "Mafeking Night's
Entertainments" and really such of my adventures as I remember
were much like the Arabian Nights.

With kisses for merfyn
Ever and wholly yours, my own sweet little one
Edwy

NEW PAGE
21.v.1900
My dearest friend,
I promised you a letter, but I don't see what in my present
condition I can write. If I could only give you a description of
Oxford on Saturday night you would not be so disappointed
with this letter as now you will be. The whole of the City and
University were in the streets. Some of the Oxford streets are
the broadest in England, and there huge bonfires were lit
which we supplied with rafters on which the city crowd stood
peacefully and uselessly by. On such occasions the city
acknowledges its inferiority. All the women, married and
otherwise, allow themselves to be promiscuously kissed by
the university: in fact most men employed themselves in
recording as many kisses as possible. Nearly everyone was
drunk, except the citizens, who looked on with the utmost
complacence; and two of whom brought me home when,
after an exciting evening, I at last succumbed to the wine I
has taken. For universal good temper you never saw such a
night. Although all were very ill and "cheap" the next
morning few regretted it, and I certainly did not tho it was an
absurd occasion for so unpatriotic a man.

Maine stayed at home and "read strange volumes" as he
says. He was ready to greet me when I arrived home.

Yesterday (Sunday) I had a short walk in the morning with
Elsey. It was the finest day we have had this May the
[illegible] was exquisite and new, bit he had even less to say
than usual, while I was somewhat handicapped by