My dear Miss Bourne,

In the first place you will be glad to hear that it was a very nice quiet Sunday & Monday at the Nest. Mrs Dyson cheered by the return of “her son,” and both glad of finding that his family really consider it a boon that they should stay and take care of him while their house is building at Crookham. I hope that Mr Keble’s suggestion will take effect, and the ... continue reading

My dear Miss Wilford

Yesterday was the Ampfield anniversary of the consecration of the Church and I took a grand holiday - including a walk from Ampfield to Hursley with Mr Keble, and so I could not write but we have read your Seven Campbells and like them very much. I suspect boys would believe in them more if John Lackland always went by his English name.

I do not think a Scottish minister stands on the ... continue reading

My dear Miss Smith Thank you for the Acrostic, but I had decided on leaving that field to the Magazine for the Young, which always has a batch of Acrostics at Christmas. I have so often refused them on that score that I could not take these. We guessed all except the two Es, which I do not quite understand, unless it means Edward and Elizabeth - and for Idiot too we had to go to ... continue reading

Dear Mr Craik

Thank you for the Wilberforce extract.

It occurs to me that if the Jubilee history were put out without illustrations, and with more of the religious element than would be fit for the English Illustrated Mag. but would be liked by my own special world of readers, the publication if cheap, might answer /moderately. But you will judge when you have looked at the chapters I sent. They go about half way.

You would rejoice ... continue reading

My dear Anne It is enough to frighten one to see all one’s words taken so seriously, not that I did not really mean them, but perhaps I spoke more freely from not thinking you would attach so much weight to what so young and so flyaway a person might say. However it is quite right to feel that words have weight. I think I must begin from henceforth to assure you that you ... continue reading

My dear Marianne If the maids had not an evil habit of keeping the arrival of a parcel a secret for some hours, I should not have let the dear Guy go without note or comment, but we never heard of him till just as we were starting for Winchester, when I wrote his mother's name in the first that came out, and carried him off. I hope she has had him by this time, and ... continue reading

My dear Madam, I enclose your P O order for 11/6 for the last quarter of the Lesser holidays. Mr Mozley promises this next year 1854 to raise his pay to 1/6 per page, so that I hope the Cathedrals will be a little less unworthily paid when you have time and inclination to make them out. Your present of the Garland must be indeed a most precious one, I wish we were not so entirely ... 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

chapters in the little Pink magazine. You may be interested to hear that when my brother was in camp at Madyn, he saw the Legionary Ants in the act of stealing their slaves, and found the neighbourhood of the nest of the negro ants strewed with the bodies of the slain. He had a praying mantis for some time in his tent which devoured 18 flies in an hour, I think its name ... continue reading