120 lines, on rectos only of 5 sheets of plain paper, 10¾x8½, held together with a straight pin.
It has been just two months since Jack London and Charmian Kittredge fell in love, and Jack’s letter reveals both the joy and anguish of their emotional turmoil: “If you would but see me waiting for the postman these days. For the half hour preceding is arrival, I am unable to work. I wander restlessly up and down. I don in and look at your shoulder [after thus Charmian has penciled ‘(picture)’]. I read over your letters. I sit down at my desk. I get up again and repeat the performance… Dear Love, I find myself fluctuating between two doubts. I wonder if you can guess them. The first is, I doubt if you can really know how much I love you; the second, I doubt if I can ever love you greatly enough, so greatly do you love me. Sometimes it is one, sometimes it is the other; but between the two I am never at rest… George [Sterling?] was in this morning, and I agreed to meet him to-morrow afternoon. He has my now made arrangements with the other fellows, and it couldn’t very well be broken off. Again the paradox! I hailed his invitation with relief – it would help pass by my impatience as the hour I was to see you drew near. Now, I shall be fretting during that very time, because I will know, each moment, that it is robbing me of you. The old place, at 7:45 is all that remains to us, dear. I’ll walk through to the other side of the grounds. When will we ever get our whole together & alone?...” After a few more pages, London closes, “But know, & know always, that I am yours, that my last though at night is of you, my first in the morning; and that I awake and look at your picture and am glad that it is all real, and that you are mine, my great, great love.” Charmian has made a few pencil marks on the last page to draw attention to certain passages. The letter is unsigned, with no recipient named - at this stage of their relationship, with Jack still married to Bessie, they had to keep their affair secret.