Capetown
(Saturday) 13 July 1912
My own sweet little Darling
It is Saturday morning & I can't do any business as the customers will not see anyone today, therefore I have come down into the City & am spending an hour or so in writing letters. Since I landed I have been awfully busy. I engaged a sample room right in the centre of the town & when my samples arrived, after a lot of trouble at the customs, I spent a day in setting them out. On Thursday afternoon I went round seeing men & made appointments with two or three of them. Yesterday I had a man in all morning & I think he will book a fairly large order, provided I bribe him. Practically all the buyers expect you to stand them something & this man wants a box of cigars. He will have to be satisfied with a lunch. These sort of things are most distasteful to me, but what can you do! Other men do it & so must you otherwise there is no business. Have just been out to buy some ink & it is a patent travellers thing. You should see the mess my fingers are in.
How would you like to live here? The climate is delightful. Altho’ it is midwinter the days are so warm you can wear a flannel suit without feeling cold but at night you are glad of a top coat & muffler. Capetown itself I rather like. The streets are nice & wide & it is so clean. Of course there is no smoke to make it dirty & the Houses of Parliament look as if they had only been built six months instead of 20 years. The tram fares are outrageous. They charge you 3d for about ½ mile. Living is high, being somewhere about double what it is at home. I am paying about 25/- per day at my hotel. There is no doubt it is a fine place with beautiful grounds but 25/- a day is a bit thick. Still it is not my money so why bother.
On Tuesday night I went to the reception of the Welsh choir & on Thursday after a long walk went to their concert. They sing splendidly & of course coming over on the same boat I know them all personally. There is not a single pretty girl amongst them. Wednesday night I went to one of the two music halls & some of my fellow passengers & last night I went to the other & heard the other artistes. They were all quite good & had a splendid reception. When they next come to Manchester I have promised to look them up.
I have had two or three long conversations with the man who used to be our agent. He has invited me out to dinner tonight so have accepted. He has a beautiful place about 7 miles out. Naturally with a man making £3000 a year at least he ought to have a lovely place. Will describe it later. Now I am going to lunch.
In the afternoon I went out by tram & he has a lovely place which he built. The house is beautifully furnished. His wife is many years his junior. She used to live opposite the Church of the English Martyrs near Alex Park. We had music & a nice dinner & talked business. He wants our agency back badly but I’m not having any. I want to bring my sweet wife here some day. Like the idea? I think you would enjoy it muchly.
Sunday I went out to the Royal Observatory & had a great time. It is the finest & best fitted up in the world. To see the huge instrument which weights something like 15 tons, balanced so perfectly that a pin would almost upset it, is wonderful. By touching a lever the floor rises to any height you like & on touching another lever the walls swing round & you can open the roof by pulling a rope. I saw quite a lot of stars & you realise as you never would otherwise, the glory of the Heavens. I went to church at night with my host & hostess & later went back again to the observatory. It seems incredible you can see a star in broad sunlight – yet I did. I caught the last tram back to my hotel after a highly enjoyable day. This morning I had some tough fights but I triumphed in the end & booked about 800 pcs(?) which is, if not brilliant – fairly satisfactory. I have still two days for the mail & hope to book more tomorrow with men I have appointments with. Heavens sweetheart how I wish you were with me.
I can do practically nothing in the afternoons except prepare for the next morning so they are more or less free. Think of all the sweet excursions we could have together when you could lay your sweet head on my shoulder & kiss me. Isn’t it annoying. Tomorrow the mail is due & I am burning with impatience to get your letter. Received your letter but will reply to it next mail. Have just written the firms letter & am rushed a little as there is only another 20 minutes to catch the mail. It closes at 1.30. Am going out for a trip somewhere this afternoon, I don’t know where but there is no business to be done. I hoped I should have been able to go to Port Eliz. On Sat. but cannot manage though I have only one more man to see.
With heaps of love my peerless sweetheart & bags of affection
Yours for ever & a day
Harry