MS Mrs Clare Roels
My dear Christabel
I never thanked you for your last kind note- The loss out of ones life is very great, though the long weakness and inability to correspond had done much to break the habit of dependance for sympathy & confidence so that one can bear it better than if ‘her sun had gone down while it was yet day’.1
I have been making efforts through Mr Awdry to get the Blue Bells taken by Smith. He says (Mr Awdry) that of course it depends on people asking for them – so I think it would be well to take every opportunity.Clare is by far the best there has been yet, only I think Piers was treacherous.2 Gertrude says she saw my whole face alter when I saw what was coming!
We heard today of our pupil teachers Alice has failed, and Harriet succeeded I rather expected it would be so, but I believe Alice to have more knack of discipline. The school had a trial for Mrs Bishop’s husband was supposed to be dying in Haslar Hospital and the two girls kept school a fortnight without her, nothing going amiss the whole time. He is ill still but she only goes back to him for the Sundays now. That little school at Albrook has risen up to 53!
your affectionate
C M Yonge