Lost love letters from the 1920s tell heartwarming story of Beatrix and Stephen Leacock

Leacock love letters A hidden cache of love letters were discovered in Stephen Leacock's closet.

Yellowed letters from a bygone era speak of the love between a husband and wife.

Sent from the Bahamas by Beatrix Hamilton Leacock to her husband Stephen Leacock in the mid-1920s, the letters were discovered tucked into a tiny, hinged compartment inside a larger closet in what is now the Leacock Museum.

"They were the last letters she would have written," said Amanda Marino, the experience development officer.

"She was pretty funny in a lot of them – kind of sassy in what she would say to him."

With 10 letters on display at the Leacock Museum until August, an uncensored look into one of Canada's most beloved authors was planned as a welcome St. Valentine's Day treat.

Beatrix, a niece to Henry Pellatt, who built Toronto's Casa Loma for his wife, sent the letters to Leacock from Nassau in the Bahamas, where she was staying.

Beatrix died in 1925.

The summer house Leacock was building wasn't finished until 1928.

"This very touching and emotional story of Beatrix's final days is told through the letters Stephen Leacock had hidden inside a secret compartment in his bedroom closet," said Marino.

The museum is offering self-guided and audio tours from Wednesdays to Fridays weekly until May.

Visitors can book a time for a tour between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (last entry at 3 p.m.) to explore the museum. To book a timeslot, call the museum directly at 705-325-2196.