MS Mrs Clare Roels/83
My dear C C
It was for Monthly Packet articles that I extracted the payment, and the stock of the books that were my personal property were handed over to Macmillan.1 This offer from the family must be for the actual sales that had taken place since there was an account; but these agents did not try to explain it, so I can only ‘take the goods the gods provide me’ if they do for it is very near the ¾ I see one of the grumbling correspondents wants some botany in Friendly Leaves. If you would like some papers about ‘What to look for in our walks’ I could do them and not make them too long. Phoebe Allen is more up to the last wrinkle than I am, but she puts too much jam and that inferior, to carry down her solid food. The holiday counsel is very good. Did I tell you of our decorous GFS sport at Wolvesley being invaded by a lot of smart girls with a Sister and two young curates with cigarettes, playing at Rounders noisily! They turned out to be the Portsea Bible Class, who had been at the Cathedral and were taken to Wolvesley grounds to play! Archdeacon Haigh (promiscuously) stalked in among them, and the cigarettes disappeared! Our school treat on Saturday was favoured by the weather till then end when we had a shower that did no harm. I wish you well through your interregnum, it is well to get out of the way- School begins next week, and our staff is nearly made up
The Standard as well as the Spectator is hard on Helen Shipton, I think she had better cease for a time and mature, for there certainly is less stuff in her than there was at first when dealing with the colliers she knew2
Oliver will resent the house cleaning, I suppose he is to reign as Protector Alethea’s cat has such a tail that someone thought it was sham!
your affte
C M Yonge