Place Viger Hotel
Montreal
(Friday) 17 October 1913
My dearest Heart,
I hardly know what to write about or how to commence this letter. There is so little news & no happenings to record that really I am almost at a loss what to fill up with. However let me start form last Sunday.
I went to the Cathedral for the evening service & rather enjoyed it. It is not a large place by any means – not much bigger than a large parish church at home. The sermon was quite good & I learned afterwards the minister is one of the best preachers in Canada.
I walked home & was astonished at the various things I saw. All picture shows billiard halls & side shows were doing a roaring business & although I am not particularly squeamish I was more than disgusted. Really it was words than a Saturday night in Market St. No pubs were open. They close on Saturday evening at seven o’clock & do not open till Monday morning. I got here by 9.30 & went straight to bed, so I should be in the pink on Monday morning.
Next morning I was ready for the fray & entered into it with gusto. My first customer gave me an order for 100,000 yards on one straight line & two small trials on other cloths. So far so good. Then I was doomed to disappointment at each succeeding place, & I finished up the day with nothing further. At night I was disinclined to go out so after dinner came down to the lounge & read till bed time.
Tuesday was another blank day except for a small order of 25,000 yards. At night the same program as Monday was gone through. Truth to tell I had a rotten influenza cold & was not inclined to take any risks, so got to bed early. I brought Bird to lunch with me & met him again at five o’clock & went out to his place to tea.
He has quite a nice house & rather a charming wife not to mention a sweet little kiddie three years old. We had a pleasant evening talking & some music & time passed quickly.
It would not do for us to come & live in Montreal unless I could earn $3000 a year – roughly £600. Things are expensive in every branch. However that is not likely to come off.
Thursday I managed to open an account with practically the best firm in Canada. True the order was only small but it will lead to bigger things & I’ll bet long odds Brown will be surprised. At night I got the Sunday Chronicle & Athletic News & made myself conversant with things in the old country. Today I have had no luck at all so the net result for the week is about £1300 which is about one quarter of what I did in Africa. Still I got to know things with another firm which Brown couldn’t get near & moreover I bearded Daniells in the lions den (His name is Daniells). He was very nice & I spent over an hour with him & I am certain business will follow in another month.
Now there you have all the news. Tain’t much is it?
Heavens girlie the appalling loneliness of this place nearly makes me mad. I don’t know whether it is that I saw too much of you when I came home from my other trip – or what it is – but the fact remains I miss you most awfully & can hardly contain myself some days. The only thing I can do is to get to bed early & sleep as long as I can so that memory will be dulled. However tis of no use swearing or wailing – the things has to be. I’ll just let you into a secret. You remember I thought it would take me at least a fortnight to three weeks to work Montreal. As a matter of fact I have only another two men to see & then I have finished the place. You can draw your own conclusions, but it makes it certain I shall be home before the 15th Dec & then – well I build certain castles in Spain & think the will be realised.
The girls here are absolutely the plainest I have ever seen. Really honestly & truly I have not seen a single passable – never mind pretty – girl since I landed. The dresses are not nice or the style is wrong or something doesn’t fit. The nearest approach to a decent girl is the manicurist in this hotel & even she can’t dress properly. I shall be glad to get out of the place. Under ordinary circumstances I leave for Toronto on Wednesday – Monday is a holiday so cannot do anything. What I shall do I don’t know, but tomorrow afternoon if the weather keeps fine I am going out with Bird for a long walk.
I hope there is a letter from you tomorrow. I had a letter from Frieda yesterday. She has not much news – just ordinary school girl chatter but very amusing.
I feel absolutely fit again & will make the customers know I am alive. Of course the financial stringency is responsible for not booking orders & the guv’nor knows quite well – but al the same I feel rather cross with business all together, but live in hopes that things will improve ere I leave these shores.
How are things shaping with you? I hope they will be much better with tomorrows mail.
I am now going to write my home letter which will not be a long one, but altho’ the mail does not leave till Sunday I felt I couldn’t exist much longer unless I had a talk to you. Next to having a conversation the only thing is to write to you & pretend things.
The chamber maid evidently takes an interest in you as I have seen her examining your photograph with much interest on two occasions.
Ah well time will soon fly & then I shall gaze on you in the flesh.
With all my dearest love girlie & tons & tons of kisses,
Yours for all time
Harry