George & Jack Llewelyn Davies to J M Barrie - 1900

Description

Letter from George and Jack to Barrie: "Please will you come to the Lizard at Easter." 8 March, probably 1900.

[No original available]

Transcription

31, Kensington Park Gardens, W.
Friday, March 8 [?1900]

Dear Mr. Barrie,
Please will you come to the Lizard at Easter. We are going in the train to Helstone and the next day we drive to the Lizard. If you can come do bring Porthos. Please will you have some lovly storrys ready for us.
Yours Faithfuly,
George Llewelyn Davies
and
Jack Llewelyn Davies.

Mother left some of her precious purple jewels at your house, please gard them safely for her.

Peter's comments:

I can’t date this letter with any confidence within two or three years. Jack may possibly be able to. It probably belongs here. It is the earliest I have from G. or J., and I suppose the "lovly storrys" may be called the first surviving hint of the germination of P.P. It was in the following summer that, during our first Tilford holiday, the photographs were taken in the woods round Black Lake Cottage which crystallized into “The Boy Castaways”, of which Jack has the only remaining copy*, the "storrys" being held back for further elaboration.
And, in the interval (Jan. 7, 1901), another P.P. germ – “The Greedy Dwarf” – was produced at 133 Gloucester Road, with S. as Prince Robin – "Enormous Engagement of Miss Sylvia du Maurier who has been Brought Back from the year 1892 in a Hansom to play the Principal Boy." According to Denis, who was there as a boy of 9, but who doubtless had it from an older member of the audience, S., "modestly draped, and hardly attempting to act, smiled exquisitely at the onlookers with an air of bewildered apology." A. was an onlooker, and I shd. think an uncomfortable one. I have a copy of the programme, with a photograph of myself, as author, on the cover.

[AB: Later sold by Jack's widow Gerrie and now in the Beinecke Collection at Yale]