CHASING THE RAINBOW'S END

NZ Truth, Issue 1302, 27 November 1930, Page 3

CHASING THE RAINBOW'S END

Novelist Who Sought Inspiration and Wrote Wife of His Seeking of The Muse In Other Lands STfUnGE LETTER^ON HER DIVORCE (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Sydney Representative.)

v Striving for fame on the Inky Way, Montague, Harry Holcroft, of Christchurch, New Zealand, hadn't much time to devote towards making his wife, Eileen, happy. What with plots and counter-plots, atmosphere^ and the like, his heroes and heroines flitting across the screen of his, vision, Holcroft, indeed, didn't have much time fo^ ' 1 y- , And all the time he was- helping m the writing of a little drama m his own home, though he didn't know it— -a drama with his wife the heroine, a brave little lady left by him to fend for herself and her child while he was away chasing fleeting fortune with pen and ink. ! a.

BUT she wrote finis to it all last week, when Mr. Justice Pike granted her. a 'divorce, because, of his desertion. i And , Holcroft, . at present; settled- at an- address m- -Berry Street, Christchurch, New Zealand, from which place he last wrote his wife, will doubtless find that she has supplied" him with data . for another story— a real. one from real life. Mrs. Holcrdft's solicitor, Mr. It. M. Duncan, announced when the hearing had finished/that there was another man waiting .to marry his client. Because of that, applicatiori was made to, have the decree made absolute m. three' months instead of six. The judge granted the request, and the dawn of another romance will have cc^me as time follows its, course. Holcroft was a- clerk of 21 when he and' Eileen McLean, a 21-years-old dressmaker, were. ' married on May 12, 1923, at Paddington. But clerking was no good to him, he had other am 7 bitions with the pen, and so he started novel writing. „ That was the beginning of the end of their married life. Mrs. Holcroft said that he was always very 'moody ancT dissatisfied during their married , Irfe, and. he wanted to devote the whole of his time to his chosen profession. - They lived together till February 2, .1927, wheh the parting came. Holcroft went his way, and she went hers. He went to England, 'and on October S, 1029, he wrote to her from, care of New Zealand House, 15 Strand. London, W.C.2. "Dear Peg," he Avrote, "my eyes jumped .queer! y ■■•' when I saw your handwriting this morning, which should' explain to you why it is .1 have not kept up your, correspondence. "I do not wish to harrow you with.! the whole of' my-,- experience m this part of the worldA .... A. "Even a/novel' published is only •the beginning.. The hardest time comes after. My latest book, 'The Flameless Fire,' is now on the market. . I do not expect to publish a , third book for perhaps a year. I have it half completed. I am going ."to! take, my time, i . "You must try to' realise, -my dear, that" happiness is only possible when you can imprison the mdment as it passes. We change with time, and time is perpetual a move'meht. . . I would like yoii to know that your suspicion of me embodied m your early letters was ' quite unfounded. T . ran away from a girl m London because

obviously she wa!s beginning to care for me, and I did. riot wish to hurt her. "I have nothing emotional, to ... gjve~any vyomari these days. I do not think I can, give more than - once m a lifetime.. „ . I would rather, you did not go out of my , life thinking me something of a libertirje. I am only quite a homeless soul . . . Good luck, Monty. "I am afraid to see things too clearly for my peace of mind," he wrote to her m another letter. "There is" a danger of something shrivelling. The clearest of us'' can only see a little way. . ■-. It is rather better for me to nai] my colors to the hiast and go on joyously, loving strongly and working with abandon. This brings us tV> love. I have had numerous affairs on my travels,, and one since my return, and am worried to death by these false glamors. "Perhaps ,-you will understand me when I say it has 'been too easy for me. . I feel' sometimesA that I could j write much better and be much hap-

CONSCIENCE

pier m every way if only I could fall head Ovei - heels madly m love, ylt is ah experience /one side of me shrinks' from, and the other clamors for. Do not confuse thjs with need for sexual satisfaction;' 1 have not found that a. difficulty. ' ' • ..' "It is another ne.ed, a little too elusive for words. Conscience warns . me that v I have ho -loyalty, m me. . . However, , it does not matter. I have another heed stronger than this, the need- for. movement. I shall not "rest; until I leave again for Europe. God knows how long it will take to feet clear of this place again, but I pray for it to he soon. . . .'"Let us cut out. the Goirdian knot b3' all means. Thei-eis no reason why we •shouj'd not correspond and remain good friends - afterwards. . . "I love Paris best of all, biit. feel drawn ; sometimes to Sydney: I may go there a little later when my finances are better, but perhaps I will hot be allowed to see you then. • Tou may trust me, to be decent, however. Possibly I have neglected .to answer all yqur. questions; but I have written \a letter and I think it covers a few subjects and a sufficient number of pages . . -. V.ours, Monty.'.'

iHiiiMliiuiiijiiiiiiiiilHiiHiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiir.. Holcroft finished' another letter with, "Even if we can't be lovers, .we ca,n be friends," and then the last she . heard, from him was from an address, in Berry Street, St. .Albans, Christchurch, New Zealand," from, which he wrote on April 15 this year. A* "Dear Peg," the letter rah, "doubt--less the above address will surprise you, although possibly you were able to see the way things were going with me m London, i /Was m the position of a man who was selling his stories, 'but m danger of starving. This ,was because the magazines held on to my sci-ipts for six months or a .year before publishing, and I could not afford to wait for payment. . "It simply meant I did not get enough ' to eat,; and -for a time, if it v had riot been for several -women who lent me money, I.should have starved. As It was, I got down pretty low and was abqut as near to the end of things as .ever i had been. Eventually' Alan got to hear of my troubles through someone else, (I had sent him the usual tales of prosperity) ',"' and he promptly paid my .passage back to. New Zealand, thereby leaving himself fairly short. I am now- living with Alan, who has, been splendid to me. . "Since my return I have finished ,my : third ..novel. It is called 'Slow Farewell,' and it is now on its way to London. My object is to get back to London with sufficient capitalto tide me over bad patches, but expect it will take me sometime to get that far. Still, I 'am- two, years off 30 yet, and can see a promise of success a little nearer, and if you ask me, Peg\ I think I would admit without hesita-, tion that I c<a*e \ery little about suc-i cess.- I believe I shall, be sorry when these struggling days are oyer. I have a secret love of battle, possibly it is growing weaker as. the years pass by, but at 'heart J am still as whert you knew me, painfully restless, but mov-< ing always m tlie one direction. . .^ ." And so they came' to end. Holcroft is still seeking' success, and his wife happiness. So far as she is concerned, she will have it iri a few months, for, as she told the judge,' she had. received an' offer of marriage, and that was why' she wanted the time shortened for the making of the decree absolute. She'll settle down then— and Holei v o'ft? Well, one of these days,' he might write a best seller, . with ■'. the theme the story of the failure of his own married life and .himself the hero — or whatever he elects to be.