MS Mrs Clare Roels/111. Printed by Coleridge, [[otherbook:]Life], 346-7 and dated by her 1901.

My dear C C
I shall be very glad to see you on the 7th or 8th, I trust you will find Helen here as her ship is due before the end of this week. She sailed on the 18th and was to take ten days –weather being good, and to look in at Cadiz and Lisbon on the way. She will be able to tell you about Ronda &c. You will find my good Bessie Pond just departing to be married at Hartlepool to her iron worker to whom she has been engaged these 5 years. May’s old Ellen is coming instead which is very good, but Rose does not mean to stay long after Easter as she wants to learn more of her work, and she is nearly too good for my work and wages- so I must look for a good superior under housemaids place for her and a good trainable girl, an easier thing to find. Have you got a circular from the Churchwoman asking help in subscriptions &c? I am afraid it is a bad sign of its success! By the by Wells Gardner sends me the acct of Chimes for the Mothers. Only 57 sold this year and 900 in hand. I never had a book that answered so ill, I fancy it is too Churchy. Miss Fin’s children come tomorrow, I hope it will do, but I don’t entirely trust it, and it is just when Mrs Jewel is gone off to nurse her sister & new baby, so they are all at 6s & 7s. I am glad ADI has something to do. Arthur Butler had it for some time – ¹ I had a letter from Mrs Townsend asking about the Aunt Charlotte histories that Marcus Ward had, I wish people would not go bankrupt, it is very troublesome to their clients

My old cat has been in a gin and got a horrible paw Her son is a huge creature but not so agreeable as was expected, and Miss Fin’s pretty white May has been poisoned, also two Jewel cats (supposed)- I fancy eating poisoned rats

your affte
C M Yonge