Mina Loy - Stories and Essays of Mina Loy

After “indulgence” was “Daniel had gone out into the world most ill-prepared — he had [great notions] what his mother had called great notions of himself, which in his brilliant recurrent beginnings, were justified but died on the ebbs of”

PAGE 32

Above “Daniel stayed with filial superstition” reads: “the drawers and cupboards of her [other locks on her] personal furniture had been broken open and could not shut again — Mrs. Bundy rattled her keys.” —ed.

Between “two male nurses” and “expounded” was “was an excel- lent reminder of what a marvellous work of [nature] evolution the lowest form of civilised being, is in reality—”

“expounded at such” was “expounded in his”

“was restless, he” was “was restless, Daniel”

“was a mumbled” was “was his father mumbling”

“And yet Mr.” was “And Mr.”

“a very marked horror of bad women” was “a marked horror of the bad woman”

There is a blank line between “women—” and “The patient” —ed. “The patient” was “Mr. Bundy”

“once at Daniel” was “when he saw”

“ ‘are catching on fire’ ” was “ ‘have caught on fire’ ” in both in- stances

“begin smoking” was “begin smoking too early”

“as in this case” was “as in this instance”

“a glowing” was “a speck of”

“fitful and reflective reactions” was “fitful and haphazard” and reads “fitful and reflective reflex reactions” —ed.

“was only fidgety and ill”—“and” is in brackets, and the whole was “was wonderingly fidgettyly ill” —ed.

Between “at ease” and “Daniel” is a blank line in the manuscript —ed.

“planted as saplings” reads “planted saplings” —ed.

After “eaves” reads “to shade its conclu[ unclear ]”; possibly “couching” —ed.

Before “Mr. Bundy next to him” was “Mrs. Bundy’s mother had w”

PAGE 33

“Conversation between” was “That conversation between”

“husband and wife” was “husbands and wifes” and reads “hus- band and wifes” —ed.

“game of tennis” was “game of ball”

“served the ball” may have been “batted the ball” —ed.

“to his wife — the wife” was “to his wife’s bat, to make it easy for her”

“the wife retaliating” was “the wife would”

After “potato” are two pages, with single vertical lines drawn through them, that include the following:

had stayed at home, [it was like passing] she was like a chilly draft from an open tomb.

[Sometimes David]

The home was pleasanter than it had ever been, the [in- termin] incredible warfare [that against 2 allies who fought each other, in this way somehow as they — while they opposed each the enemy, the aspiring generations whose aspirations they bomb barricaded with their envy and shot across at them with their commands]

[The] In which commanding officers [made war upon] fought each other and wounded their soldiers like enemies with their commands had been greatly simplified by the sub- traction of Mr. Bundy and Mrs. Bundy now that she held the supreme command was more amenable to circumstances.

There was a great deal of talk about heredity, and the youngest sister had written a noble letter to a youth with adenoids, giving him back his freedom, the youth in an equally noble letter, had pointed out that nothing would make any difference to him.

A certain amount of form or plot had come into life, with this first definable event in their career of ‘poor dear father’s nervous breakdown, they all felt that they knew better how to handle things now that things were no longer [rea] vague.

[The psychology of the interior less chaotic]

The withdrawal of the mannequin to his spare bedroom, [being had left] had cleared a lot of psychological space

A certain amount of order had come into chaos.

“the holiday” may be “a holiday” —ed.

After “disordered one” there is a short line across the center of the page; the “+” is not Loy’s —ed.

“In them” was “seemingly m”

“He had lost the thread of his life’s discourse” was “He seemed to have lost the thread of his conversation” and “life’s discourse” was also “living discourse”

“father’s repetitive reminiscences” was “father’s reminiscences”

“reminiscences as he could” was “reminiscences often rea”

“pouncing” was “jumping”

“on a remark — for his” reads “on a remark, say of [unclear word] ”— for his —ed.

PAGE 34

“mother’s opposition — that” reads “mother’s opposition that” —ed.

“the frantic nightmares” was “the frenzies rare”

“He leant over. . and wept” is a later addition

“He leant over” was “Daniel leant over”

After “audience—” was “ ‘O course I do—’ ”

“ ‘convinced ’im — as’ ” was “ ‘convinced ’im — that’ ”

“ ‘—and lookin’ ’ ” was “ ‘—she’ ”

“ ‘as though she feels’ ” was “ ‘as though she ad’ ”

PAGE 35

“ ‘down in the morning so’ ” was “ ‘down so’ ”

After “ ‘ ’arf a hour’ ” was “ ‘after studying years of stuff’ ”

“ ‘They can’t know’ ” was “ ‘They don’t know’ ”

“ ‘about people wot’ ” was “ ‘about their patients’ ”

“ ‘you’d a got’ ” was “ ‘you’d ave’ ”

“ ‘as finds out what’s the matter’ ” was “ ‘as finds the causes’ ” and “ ‘what’s wrong’ ”

“ ‘wouldn’t believe — why’ ” reads “ ‘wouldn’t believe why’ ” —ed.

“entrances steady as blind eyes” was “watching rigid set like blind eyes”

“ ‘You take it from me’ ” is a later addition

“ ‘be so nice’ ” was “ ‘feel so nice’ ”

“ ‘they ’ave to’ ” was “ ‘Like to want’ ”

“ ‘they just ’appened to rot away’ ” was “ ‘lettin’ themselves just gen- tly decay’ ”

Crossed through, the end of the manuscript reads:

Daniel was young and as he had [had] been allowed no other pleasures, extremely sensitive.

[When David passed through the house he would sometimes run across

When David]

In the house David would sometimes pass his [elder] sister — the sister that

INCIDENT

(6:162)

Alongside some handwritten notes, “Incident” consists of two typed manuscripts of five and six pages respectively; both are signed “Mina Loy” and have very occasional annotations, although the five-page text is slightly more refined and is therefore the document used here. Distinctions between the used manuscript and its alternate are noted below.

The focus of this piece — an experience of arrested circulation — bears a distinct resemblance to a climactic moment in Insel , a novel Loy is believed to have written in the thirties. In her notes, Loy suggests that “Incident” was a “petty accident” that took place in Geneva when she and Emily Balch—“as usual in teasing argument, due to our opposite temperaments”—were rushing “to tea with the George Herrons.” Loy visited Geneva in 1919 ( Salt Companion 13). Emily Greene Balch (1867–1961) won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946, in honour of her work for the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom; George D. Herron (1862–1925) was an American Christian socialist activist.