Have you heard the last variety of American Lion hunting – writing to ask for a bit of one’s dress to put into a literary quilt? I actually had such a request, and while I was laughing at it I came on a book of Miss Alcott’s where the dear Jo – after she had become a noted authoress – has the same entreaty made to her.

My dear Anna I am only just in time to catch the post and thank you very much for the photographs. The outside of the house is charming, and Annie Moberly is venturing to ask if she might have one of them and of the group. She and Miss Price came out exactly like and she is like half her sisters. She would like them unmounted. I shall be very glad to see you when ... continue reading

My dear Mrs Lennard It shews indeed that it is long since we heard of one another, that you did not know that my dear Gertrude Walter died, on the 20th of last May, after a winter and spring of much increased suffering, nursed by her sisters. You will be interested to hear that she left her stamps to be sold for the Melanesian Mission. Of course they did not bring in what she expected, ... continue reading

My dear Bea, No doubt this extract is what Carlyle went upon. Oliver Cromwell’s - or the Commonwealth Great Seal as figured by Knight has the map of England and Ireland on one side, and (apparently) parliament sitting on the reverse. The authority for it is not given. Rapin’s history however says that Richard had a new Great seal made for himself, and this must be the thing that was hidden, as it was an awkward ... continue reading

My dear Bea, It must have been the Die and not the seal itself that was hidden in the wall. Lottie Yonge has discovered at the Croft Vertue’s Cromwell seals and medals with Richard’s seal - he is on horseback on one side and in parliament on the other. Also that Timbs in his ‘Abbeys and Castles’ says that ‘Wllm Heathcote Esq found the die and sold it but Sir William Heathcote bought the die. ... continue reading

My dear Edmund Thank you for the result of your audacious bit of sacrilege, and also Mr Hardy. Mr Bowland’s epitaph, I am glad he was a keeper of the parks and not of the swine! Duthy read the name Bockland and Marsh Bowland He must have been a man in good odour with employers and tenants I wonder whether his eulogy is the work of a Bishop’s Chaplain or a ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan I have been so often asked for a cheaper edition of my novels that I am delighted to hear that you are beginning on one of them, and I hope it will answer so well that you may follow it up with others

I hope by the 1st of July to send you the 'Parishes of John Keble’. It is being looked over by the Heathcote family now, and I shall not have it ... continue reading

My dear Mrs Elgie There is a poor old surgeon of 80 for whom I have been voting for [sic]. If he is no more I will vote for Annie Reynolds as I always think Winchester has the first claim

Caroline Ray, Charles’s eldest sister, who has spent her life in nursing invalid old gentlemen, and been well paid, takes Price’s shop, as soon as his nephew can sell off the remains

Yours affly C M Yonge

My dear Ellie I am delighted to hear of the Medallion!

Have you seen Sir Herbert Maxwell’s book of the months-? He disbelieved the rod and someone ought to write to him. He watched Mullins - and fancied he had discovered the places before. But Lady Crawley, the mother of Mrs William Gibbs, who had the power only in that generation of the family laughed at it as imagination, and I believe Mrs Gibbs inherited it, but ... continue reading

My dear Miss Merriman I am sorry to hear Mrs Sumner is laid up but I am sure it is a good thing that she should be obliged to take a little entire rest. The MSS went last week. I thought they would be easier to look over as proofs, and I wanted to have Christabel Coleridge while she is here. Mrs Matthew has asked me the last moment available for the report of the ... continue reading

My dear Misey I have been looking for the book, but it is a dilapidated little brochure and has disappeared. Sentence No 1 was only my awkward translation, the crowd was impeding progress, so the old soldier called out ‘Come on, Crawlers, hindering us from going out to die for you’ is the sense The other bit is wrong from a careless omission which I have supplied. I don’t want the ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan Herewith I send the MS of ‘John Keble’s Parishes’ I shall be glad to know what you think the best way of dealing with it and what you think about illustrations.

There should be a map of the parishes which are locked together but I wait to get it drawn out till I hear about the size of the page

What would be advisable as to illustrations. We had thought of

Ruins of Merdon Castle Old ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan I delayed my answer till I had communicated with the Heathcote family - at whose request chiefly this history of Hursley has been undertaken.

I rather expected them to demur at making the book so expensive to buyers, and was thinking over the possibility of starting with it much abridged, leaving out the Plan and the Customs of Merdon Castle, the Birds Flowers, descriptions of parishes and Words - and most of the ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan I hope to send off the illustrations - or the material for them on Saturday.

I will write to Mr Portal, the Chairman of the Quarter Sessions for permission for the portrait of Sir Wm Heathcote

Two books are with them - one (Lady Heathcotes) for the sake of the old views and plans - it is the original book by Marsh.

The other belonging to me is the Revd J.F. Moor’s written about 1860.

The ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan The Clerk of the Peace undertakes to ask the consent of Mr Portal and the Magistrates at the Quarter Sessions - so there is no doubt that this will be right.

Could the little wood cut of the Ampfield fountain (in the book) be inserted - And one view of the old Hursley Church would be liked

Otherwise the list is very satisfactory.

That likeness of Mr Keble has never been published, and would be ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan I am asking Mr Medley (The Rev John Medley Tyntesfield, Bristol) to write to you direct about his Grandfather’s drawing. It is rather a question what he may feel able to do, as it does not belong to him but to his cousin. It is in a book, but whether only fastened in, or bound up I cannot tell

I have told him that in either case, book or drawing would be ... continue reading

Dearest Marianne- I have the sketch-book still (only it is at the bottom of some dusty hoards, which I have not time to irritate to-day) with all our party on Bishopstoke Hill. Dear Marianne, it is much to be thankful for to have a real friend of one's youth on into ‘boar hairs,’ and friends and household do all they can to make it a bright day. Emily Awdry comes for two days to-day. She will ... continue reading

My dear Lady Glasgow That is a beautiful testimony from the Scotsman to the great work at Sta. Cruz, Bishop Cecil Wilson is keeping it up, and now it is under British protection his work will be the less hindered. I believe the Church to be built in memory of Bp John Selwyn is to be in the island of Florida, where there is a considerable number of scholars. He says that everywhere the teaching of ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan Many thanks for your cheque which was an agreeable surprise to me. I hope the experiment of cheapness will be successful.

The great day at Hursley is to be the 24th October so if we could have a few of the presentation copies of John Keble’s parishes, it would be a great boon

Yours sincerely C M Yonge

My dear Mrs Lennard I must send your name on a separate piece of paper, as the book must go from Macmillan as I do not keep a stock of copies by me, and besides I think booksellers packing is safer than home, if I had a copy I was sure was new all through.

What a sad loss of all your precious books, that can never be repaired! We are looking forward to the 50th Consecration ... continue reading

My dear C C Do you want Campbell’s Highland tales? I dont think there is anything bearing on Arthur in them he was quite Cymric not Gaelic. I sent the two Mags for young yesterday. Shall I write notices of SPCK’s books? They are not a good lot thus far as I have read, and there are two by Miss E Finnimore, the Postwoman and Uncle Isaac’s will that I am ... continue reading

Dear Madam I am sorry to say that Mrs Perowne’s paper is too late to appear in this number

yours truly C M Yonge

My dear C C Poor dear Sophy, she has been a heavy weight on many minds from the time of Pena’s death, in a remarkable way considering the clever, able woman she was. I heard of her release, for such it was from Mary Yonge who wanted much, as well as Charlotte to come to the funeral, but happily the two witheld each other, in the fogs and the rain and the wet grass, ... continue reading

My dear Mrs Lennard I suppose your friends are only prepared to make remuneration by entertaining the English folks in return Otherwise I might be able to tell you of someone but everybody is so poor in these days that I am afraid it could hardly be done gratis.

I sent off a magazine by yesterday’s post Luckily there was one over as we had had one too many of an extra number and it gives ... continue reading