Dear Mr Macmillan I have been looking for Innes’s accounts, (I send the agreement drawn up with him and Tanner in /93.) but there is no mention of the Castle builders in it nor in any of the subsequent accounts, which go to /96. I cannot find a later one, though I should have thought there would have been one in /97.

I think the book must have been out of print when he took the ... continue reading

with the 7th division - We have had a great deal of slight illness here, my cook is just up again from influenza, and a great many people in the village have been having it, nonetheless there were 110 Communicants yesterday, 40 of them at 6.30- We dined at one at the Vicarage all the children now being old enough to be there, the little one, Joan is such a good ... continue reading

Dear Mr Bullock, I am glad you have succeeded at last in getting an opportunity for publishing

Certainly executors are very troublesome to deal with as they are not acting for themselves. I am sending an order paper for one person, a cousin, who I hope may have one

Yours truly C M Yonge

My dear Mary St Paul has brought us nice brisk weather, I hope it is not too cold for you, but it is pleasant to have it clean. We have had the excitement of hearing that Capt Cromie has been transferred to Algeciras in Spain, close to Gibraltar, so Frances comes home with the whole family in March and will not miss the wedding - I do not know much more for the letters were ... continue reading

Dear Sir I have been so much interested by the book you have kindly sent me, in common with rest of the Author’s Society and, having had a little correspondence with you many years ago, when you were editing the English Plutarch, I venture to write, thinking you may care to hear some experiences of a long life of writing, not from necessity but because I had something to say.

The passion for telling a story developed ... continue reading

Sir, I am moved to say something from my own personal knowledge in defence of rustic reading

I do not care whether this is inserted as a letter, but I should like the substance to appear, as I know it to be fact, and I think it is true of many other Hampshire villages

Yours truly C M Yonge

My dear Mrs Sumner I hope you had the bundle of materials for the April Mothers in Council that I sent to Claremont, Rudleston, Manchester on the 31st January, for it is time Wells Gardiner had them. If there is nothing to alter, perhaps you would leave them at his office, writing Mothers in Council on them. I only want to add a most excellent book of The Sunday School Institute ‘Christ in the Catechism’ but that ... continue reading

Dear Sir I am much obliged for your letter, with the curious particulars about the Bartons. The cow is delightful!

But Manydown is not a mistake, it is near Basingstoke, and (I believe) held on the tenure of receiving the Winchester scholars if the plague was in the city. I have known many of the family of Bigg, who two generations ago, took the surname of Wither, on inheriting Tangier Park from the ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan I believe I wrote before and asked whether you thought it worth while to revive two or three books of mine that have gone out of print. I have been asked about them again, which leads me to write. ‘The Two Guardians’ and ‘Henrietta’s Wish’ were published by Masters and went through three editions at least, then I heard no more of them and his business has been given up. The copyright ... continue reading

I had not heard for a fortnight, and had just made up my mind to write to ask Raby whether you knew anything, and when I saw your writing I knew how it must be. This gradual, gentle sinking is the most merciful way of going one can think of, though I hope that there may not be the restlessness that ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan I am glad you see your way to publishing these books on the half profit system I send the Two Guardians and Henrietta’s Wish shall follow, as soon as we can supply the first two pages which are gone from the only copy I can find

Yours truly C M Yonge

My dear Lady Salisbury I am venturing to ask if you would be so good as to present my niece Mrs Cromie at the coming drawing room. Her husband Captain Cromie has just been promoted from Morocco to Algeciras, and they are in England during the transit. It would of course be much more convenient to her to be presented now that she is at home than to have to come on purpose.

If you ... continue reading

My dear Mrs Butler At last I can send you the small amount for your Snow Queen She was a long time waiting before I could get her in, but she looks very pretty in the number.

I had the pleasure of seeing Grace Guinness last month, and hearing of my dear Lizzie, who is really a wonder, I wish Emma was as well!

yours sincerely C M Yonge

Your husband will be sorry to hear that the beautiful Common ... continue reading

My dear Mary We had two plants of purple periwinkle once in the old shrubbery part of the garden. It disappeared, and I tried to introduce it here from Dogmersfield, where there was plenty, but it did not live. Tell Jenny the bar is a line or stripe going horizontally all across the shield [diagram] The wreath is supposed to be the folds or fastening on the top of the helmet on which ... continue reading

My dear Mrs Packe I am sure that the correspondence would be most interesting and suggestive, only I am not quite sure in what way you thought of letting it appear, whether as the actual letters abridged or as a digest of them, or to shew a selection to anyone who might be writing an account of the times. They would reflect the feeling of the early times surprisingly to many, and I think ... continue reading

My dear Mr Moor Many thanks for being so kind as to send me your book. I am glad it has prospered enough to come to another edition-

I think that the notice of Mr Wither’s birth was as it stood in the Hants’ paper I suppose it came from the roll at Winchester though I certainly thought he would have been 90 in November -

I am glad your German expedition was fairly satisfactory

Yours sincerely C M ... continue reading

My dear Mary I am glad you have been keeping the wedding day with Charlotte. I am afraid that the hotel must spoil sitting out of doors except in front of the house. I am writing now in the garden while Blanche Webber, who is here to recover from the remains of the influenza is lying down in her own room. She had it at Easter and does not quite get over the remains, ... continue reading

My dear Mary I remember Charles Archer at Winchester and he once or twice called on me. Harward and Fulbert must be nearly the only ones left except Mrs Tolcher. I think Fulbert was a little while at Winchester. I sent you my idea of the insulted sufferer on a card yesterday I thought at first of Zechariah the son of Jehoiader, but that did not quite to suit and I do ... continue reading

My dear Lottie I put off writing till the 19th was over, for it really was a very interesting day, though I little knew beforehand all they were going to make of it. About £1800 was collected for the scholarship, and this was presented, with a beautifully illuminated address, by the Bishop in the High School, making a wonderful speech about having read the Little Duke when he was a small boy, and all that ... continue reading

My dear Miss Mowbray- I am afraid I did not thank you or any one else for all your kindness to me. I had no notion of all that the function involved, and I fear I have never outgrown ungracious shyness, which I am often sorry for, and I am afraid stood in the way in the many introductions. But nothing could have been better managed or more gratifying than the whole, and I ... continue reading

My dear C C If I were to be dissected while I am alive, I think you would do it tenderly, but indeed I have always shrunk from seeing the lives of living people and my whole old fashioned nature revolts at the idea partly personally, and partly because I know how those who are gone would feel about it, so indeed I do not think it is possible to my feelings and I hope ... continue reading

My dear Ellie- Thank you for your loving little note. Did you see in the Hants Chronicle a little bit of what I said after the speeches, of the Bishop of Guildford and Mr. Warburton? I could not help, when they said I had made clergy and good men seem real, almost murmuring that my good men were not ideals, but I had really known their equals (and superiors) in reality. Mr. Warburton was ... continue reading

My dear C C I am glad there are some signs of life or of decay more properly of poor A D I- ! I do think there are more and more signs that a 6d phoenix would be welcomed.

I find the booksellers make all sorts of excuses for not having got it – The Authors Soc want to see my agreement before advising me. I could not find it easily before I ... continue reading

My dear Mrs Swinton Thank you once more for the Waterloo letters which I have read with the greatest pleasure. They bring it close to us, just as did Lord Seaton and my father talking it over. I rather wonder to see the Prince of Orange such a favourite but probably he was very different to young girls from what he was to Lord Seaton who was his ‘bear leader’ for some time

Yours sincerely C M Yonge

My dear C C I am sure unless we could get an amount of subscribers enough to start a new Church Packet with security, it would be vain. Could we find out? Otherwise Sir W Besant is right, and we must acquiesce. I would make Duck’s Eggs a fresh start for it is needed, but I think it is not hopeful, sorry as I am, especially that Church should be a ... continue reading

My dear C C Here is a behind the times letter that concerns you. I have heard from Mr Thring, who says I can remove my books with proper notice, but as I don’t know how long proper notice is, I have written to ask, also he thinks there may be trouble about those of which A D I gives Royalty and on the older ones there is no agreement. I asked if ... continue reading

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. 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 ... continue reading

My dear C C I am doing my best to write to Macmillan I think it is our only hope and rather a forlorn one- and explaining some of its history and scope hoping not to say too much or too little, nor to shew personal feeling

But I am sure it is a thing to be considered how to have a high class magazine for young persons, as I have been telling him and ... continue reading

My dear C C It is a cruel stroke to lose Lanty at the same time as M P You must feel desolate like Othello. Aimée Leroy has an idea, and may write to you about it, anent M P She says she has seen A D I’s business advertised to be sold. I have not, but I think my notice was sent in time. He has taken no notice, ... continue reading

Dear Madam Macmillan published both series of the Store House of Stories. I do not know that the second series is gone out of print, I should think they had it in stock. If not I could lend it to you- or my own old copy of ‘the Puzzle for a curious girl’ which I inherited from my mother, and is somewhere in the house, though I cannot lay my hand on it ... continue reading

My dear C C Did you ever hear that the treaty between Fairfax and the Cornish army was signed at Heaths Court. I never heard of it but Sir Mount Stuart Grand Duff staid with John and says it was signed in the old part of the house Perhaps dear old May was ashamed of such doings, and I should not have thought the house so old, as I remember it, and I ... continue reading

Dear Madam I have found my Puzzle for a Curious Girl - 2d edition, 1805, given to my mother ‘Miss Fanny Bargus’ as her name is written. The illustrations are cuts, very tightly dressed, the father in knee breeches, the servant opening the carriage door in a cocked hat. I was guilty of painting the first cuts very badly indeed

I have also ‘the Little Queen’ in the Children’s Miscellany where are also Little ... continue reading

My dear C C I confess that though I mourn over the Manes of the M P I am personally a little relieved, for I was considering what I could honestly personally undertake or allow my name to be used for, in relation first to Truth, secondly in public spirit to the Church and girlhood, and thirdly in justice to kind helpers and endeavours for a fresh start. Helen has been reading the early volumes ... continue reading

Dear Miss Walker I should like much to know your Grandmother’s name, in case I should have heard of her from my mother. The curious thing is that my mother had no idea that she was a success. She was very miserable at school, being really too delicate for the treatment of those days and never well in London. She thought her lessons were always marked ‘très mediocre’, and her comfort was watching ... continue reading

Dear Miss Walker I was much interested in your letter, though I am afraid I had not heard Miss Lawrence’s name. I believe my mother left school at 14 in consequence of her father’s very sudden death, so her career there must have been a short one. I have always thought it must have been a very good school, her knowledge was so thorough, and she taught me almost entirely except a French master ... continue reading

My dear C C Thank you for Crispin I was glad of him for we are feeding Alethea with light literature, she having broken down, with nothing the matter but a course of overwork after the influenza- first the children’s measles, then going to Holmwood to lodgings with the children, no nursery maid, and the lady nurse not looking after her, or doing nursery maid’s work and then a good deal to do at ... continue reading

My dear Mary I have been meaning to write for some days, but they have managed to be full, and now I hope you have good accounts of Dorothea and the little maid, and that Charlotte has a happy nursing.

Poor Alethea has quite broken down, with really nothing the matter with her, but she has had no proper rest all this year First the influenza, then all the children’s measles then going to the ... continue reading

My dear Lord Nelson Thank you very heartily for your notes. It is very pleasant to see how much one’s contemporaries minds are to one’s own. I think all of that training in experience and principle that we have had must feel the expedience of submission in what is not a vital point, if a stand is to be made on what is important. Nor do I see, what the enemy aver, that yielding in these ... continue reading

My dear Ellie- Thank you for your letter. We have heard nothing more, and hardly look for anything, and indeed there had been only one letter from him since he joined Baden-Powell, but that was enough to leave us no doubt that it is himself. I am so glad he had that year at home after the Matabele War.

He was very much loved here. There was to have been a ‘Social Evening,’ but the people ... continue reading

My dear Mary I wonder whether Charlotte had a foggy, snowy voyage yesterday? With us the day was very fine, the frosty road so clean and clear and this morning all was white but later it turned to drizzling rain and muddy roads , down which I puddled to the last nursing lecture, and saw instruction given on making a poultice among other things The numbers of people had been 29, but today there were ... continue reading

Dear Miss Walker I read a review of Miss Winslow’s diary, which must have given a fair idea of it. Most Grandisonian days those were! Did you see ‘Like Another Helen’ in which very good imitation letters are written by a young lady who actually was the one woman in the Black Hole. I thought it the best novel I had seen of the season. I wonder whether Gaffer Two Shoes was an ... continue reading

My dear Alley Mrs Dennis and I counted up and found six babies of Mothers Meeting

Alice Bean Gray Miles Hoskins boy May One other whom I cannot remember.

Now can you tell me what you would like us to do on Christmas day-? Our parties are so many that I want you to say candidly whether it would be too much for you for us to come down, the 3 of us to midday dinner or whether we had not better ... continue reading