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To Alice Arbuthnot Moberly
October [1855]

MS location unknown. This fragment printed in Dulce Domum 122-3.

My dear Alice,
With all our best birthday – 20-year-old – wishes, we send a peculiar assortment of presents,. 1. Eau de Cologne from the most genuine-looking place in Cologne. 2. ‘The Lances of Lynwood,’ hoping the Black Cats will not frighten Edward. 3. I doubt whether it is in your special line, but Mamma’s heart was so grieved by hearing of the bereaved canary sitting disconsolate – and as she is sure you would desire everybody’s happiness on your birthday, she begs to present him with another wife, hoping that in honour of Otterbourne you will call her ‘Lady Percy’ after Hotspur’s wife.1 Last touches are being given to the Daisies, and the Spider has devoured Sir Thomas.2

1The mediaeval 'Ballad of Otterbourne' recounts an adventure of Henry Percy (1364-1403), Shakespeare's Hotspur, at the battle of Otterburn (1388) in Northumberland.
2CMY was working on The Daisy Chain, the first half of which was serialized in MP (July1853-December 1855), The History of the Life and Death of the Good Knight Sir Tom Thumb (1855) and Landmarks of History, which was appearing as a serial in MP.

Cite this letter


The Letters of Charlotte Mary Yonge(1823-1901) edited by Charlotte Mitchell, Ellen Jordan and Helen Schinske.

URL to this Letter is: https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/yonge/3071/to-alice-arbuthnot-moberly-8

2 Comments
  1. Ellen Jordan says:
    January 13, 2013 at 11:51 am

    First three footnotes noted in text not given.
  2. admin says:
    February 27, 2014 at 11:09 am

    They aren’t footnotes: they are CMY’s numbering.
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