Royall Tyler to Mildred Barnes Bliss, June 22, 1909
Burlington Hotel.Burlington Hotel, 30 Old Burlington Street, Westminster, London. W.
June 22 1909.Tuesday.
Dear Mildred.
I got your letter from Paris the other day, and was so sorry that we could not meet. At the time I was staying with some people in Cornwall, near the Lizard, 10 miles from a station,See letter of June 10, 1910. a wonderful place, the capital of King Mark’sKing Mark of Cornwall, a king of Kernow (Cornwall) in the early sixth century. He appears in the Arthurian legend as the uncle of Tristan and husband of Iseult. realm of thereabouts, with Cornish crosses, baby cromlechs,Either prehistoric stone circles (French and Spanish usage) or megalithic dolmens (stone chamber tombs; English usage). Tyler most likely intended the first usage. British hut circles,The remaining stone courses of a circular prehistoric house. barrowsPrehistoric earthen or stone tombs. ect [sic] and full of the little people. The Cornish are a strange people.
I was staying with my publisher’s wife, a person whom I hope you will meet sometime, and the only other guest was a retired bullfighter, who has also exercised the professions of: false diamond maker, musician, painter, sculptor, baker, prestidigitator, hypnotist,—to mention a few of them. We had a very pleasant time, and all grew rather plump on Cornish cream and pastries, and very indolent in the soft damp Cornish air. Not so indolent, however, that the Spaniard and I were not able to exert ourselves. We caught a magnificent peacock on the cliffs—it had escaped from a house a long way off, and baffled pursuit for 8 days. When the owners heard of its capture, they claimed it, but we said they should catch their own peacocks, and that rather than give it up we would kill it and eat it.
I believe my book is to appear tomorrow. In a few days I return to Paris.
Yrs sincerely