My dear Anne Thank you for taking all my impertinence so kindly. I hope you will not be very angry with me for being highly delighted with Mary Coleridge’s prospects, and not even pitying Alethea so much as Cordelia Colborne, for you must remember that Mary will live very near home and the sisters may see each other every day of their lives, and for Mary’s youth, she is much older at twenty, than many people ... 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 Mary, My letters must seem to be very few & far between but sudden revolutions happen now & then, wh disorder my private arrangements, such as yesterday, when I was just seated to write to Alethea & Uncl Wm proposed driving Char: & me to Southampton, & before we came back the visitors were arrived. You will see how much I enjoyed your very long letter presently when I tell you how pleasant ... continue reading

My dear Dr. Moberly, Of all days in the year this is one that I should specially have chosen for receiving the note Mamma sent on this morning. Indeed I do thank you and Mrs. Moberly very much for giving me a Pearl to think of every day. How I shall look forward to the christening day and to having a possession of my own in your house! I wonder what you will ... continue reading

My dear Mr Yonge, Such an outpouring as your letter which I had last evening was, gives me great pleasure, and I hope you will continue to write to me when you feel inclined. What I most dread is the want of companionship for Charlotte She had been used all her life to discuss with, and refer to her Father everything that pleased and interested her, and these happy evening when he came hope ... continue reading

My dear Papa, I feel greatly obliged to you for writing so often. I fear your leisure will decrease rapidly now, that you are able to resume your out of door occupations, to say nothing of all the Confirmation Children, and also such an increase in the colony within doors. I hope you will not find yourself quite overmatched by the half dozen grandchildren, and obliged to retreat to the top of the House, ... continue reading

My dear Alice, I wrote instantly to thank Dr. Moberly for his good news, but the cart was missed on Sunday morning. Tell us if Margaret has seen the brother, and what she said of him, and tell us who the boy is like and whether he is large or small, dark or fair. Three days of well-doing make us think you will soon be ready for ‘Heartsease’; there will be plenty for ... continue reading

My dear Marianne . . . But all this time you have not heard how I had three walks between College and St. John's house arm-in-arm with the Bishop! Don't you call that preferment?

We went to the Cathedral with the troop of Moberlys, and I am glad my first sight of him was in his lawn sleeves. I never saw a face of which one would so much say it was inspired. ... continue reading

My dear Miss Moorsom I wrote to the author of the Garland of the Year in case she should be able to help you to any authorities for the Oxalis, but I have an answer from her this morning saying that it was one of the very few flowers which she described at second hand, but she has written to the person who helped her to try if she can recollect what book she found it ... continue reading

My dear Alice,

I trow you are not expecting me to-night, and a great pity it is, but it will be mitigated if Dr. Moberly will only be so kind as to lend us the lecture to read at home, in which case the Institution shall honestly have the price of our tickets. If you will tell the cart to call we will send in Froude, vol v., and ‘Cornwallis.’ I am afraid you are not ... continue reading

My dear Miss Bourne

Mamma’s letter to you was a surprise to me when she shewed it to me, and I did not answer it till we had heard from you again, in hopes we might see you. The matter with Winchester is overbuilding - the Itchen supplied all drainage while the place was of moderate size, but it is now too big for that, and the dear Warden, Dr Moberly and the Cathedral people have ... continue reading

How can I grieve and sorrow about my dear dear Father’s blessed end? . . . I shall like the photograph of Hursley Vicarage and Church, the lawn and group upon it. But most shall I like to think that Mr. Keble, and I dare say Dr. Moberly too, pray for me and this Mission. I need the prayers of all good people indeed.

My dear Cousin,

The ‘Southern Cross’ arrived safely this morning. Thanks to God!

What it is to us even you can hardly tell; I know not how to pour out my thankfulness. She seems admirably adapted for the work. Mr. Tilly’s report of her performance is most satisfactory: safe, fast, steers well, and very manageable. Internal arrangements very good; after cabin too luxurious, but then that may be wanted for sick folk, and as it is luxurious, ... continue reading

My dear Cousin,

This date, from this place, will surprise you. We returned yesterday, after a short voyage of only three months. I had arranged my plans for a long voyage, hoping to revisit all our known islands, and that more than once. We sailed to Norfolk Island, thence at once to Mota. I spent two days there, and left the Rev. L. Pritt in charge of the station; Mr. Palmer being with him and the ... continue reading

My dear Fanny, You and Emily have exactly the memory that may be called kind – Many thanks to you for the very pretty little snow tip butterflies, which are of a species highly to be commended. I hope shortly to wear them into Devonshire where I believe we are going next month - I think the present visitors at the Vicarage are decidedly wholesome, being the brother and sister but I dread the chance of ... continue reading

It is quite a comfort, my dear Mrs. Moberly, to have your letter, and to answer it immediately. And it is better to write than to see you; our hearts would be too full for speech. Charlotte and I can only trust ourselves to talk at times. It comes at the best possible time for us all; these services are so especially full of Mr. Keble. At the same time we are quite alive to ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, Would you be so kind as to send an order for me for Sir F. Palgraves History of Normandy and England. I cannot get my Cameo’s [sic] correct without it, and Dr Moberly’s copy on which I reckoned proves to be packed up for leaving Winchester so as to be unobtainable. I can do nothing till I get it, and though I could order it from the London Library, one is kept often ... continue reading

My dear Edith Having always so heard and thought of you it seems the more natural. I was sending a parcel to Dr Moberly’s, and so put yours with it. Alas - what shall we do when it is Dr Moberly’s no longer-! You will find, shut into the book a paraphrase of some lines in German that Alexandrine wrote when she sold her pearl necklace - they were written out from the Month. I mention ... continue reading

My dear Edith, You will think there is no end to me but I saw Mr Moore yesterday and he says that his magic lantern came from Carpenter & Newman 24 Regent Street, and that they are much better than Negretti having devoted their minds to magic lanterns His lamp is an Argand These were all your questions I could recollect, but if you have any more, he will gladly and clearheadedly answer them. Mamma has ... continue reading

My dear Marianne To write to you seems matter of necessity, though time does not seem to be found anywhere in the interval of church-going and eating. The Consecration day you heard about, and on the next, after a tolerably quiet day, when we went to luncheon with Mrs. Scroffs, the dear people came. They had fraternised with Mr. Wilson by the way, and he came in the fly with the ladies, while the vigorous Primate ... continue reading

My dear Caroline It did indeed seem to be bringing sorrow upon sorrow when that account came of your dear father, and one recollected all that he was to us in 1854, and indeed ever since, and the accounts since have been a great cheer. It is strange that scarcely any of our own specially near and dear friends who were round us fourteen years ago were either left or at hand, Dr. Moberly even out ... continue reading

My dear Marianne- This last day will be a very quiet one, for M. de Witt is gone to a horse-fair at Falaise, and Julian, Frances and Miss Martin are gone with him, starting at eight this morning, and coming home at eleven at night; unluckily I could not go, and Mme. de Witt caught a bad cold yesterday and I fear will not be good for much to-day. Caen had to be given up because ... continue reading

My dear Mary Your letter met me at the Station on my way home, and I hope that the fog of Wednesday was less bad for uncle Yonge though more disagreeable than frost would have been. There was one continuous fog all the time I was away, and it is very bad for Ottery where there is a bad low typhoid fever among the poor. I found Sir John better than I expected with no cough, ... continue reading

Dear M. E. C. I feel strongly impelled to write to you both to thank you for your letter and for St. Christopher's legend. A German lady once sent me a set of photographs of frescoes of his history, where he was going through all sorts of temptations, including one by evil women.

I think I must tell you that the Daisy Chain was written just when I was fresh from the influence and guiding of ... continue reading

My dear Mary Very likely the bill will come out tomorrow, I think Mr Hart may hold his hand now, as the school is in existence. I am not quite sure without asking Mr Layland, but I really think those photographs have raised £20. Yes, dear Anne did send 2/2 every half year for the penny club. It shews how long ago it began that the girl she first took is a ... continue reading

My dear Mr. Butler I have two kind letters to thank you for, first about the T and secondly about the war - I wish the authority for the former was more direct and conclusive, it is so very beautiful.

The Monthly Packet of October will be quite German enough to please you, having the journal of a lady at Homburg and a translation by Miss Sewell of 'Der Wacht am Rhein', but I confess that I ... continue reading

My dear Cousin, I must not leave your letter of last October without an instalment of an answer, though this is only a chance opportunity of sending letters by a whaler, and I have only ten minutes.

Your account of the Southampton Congress is a regular picture. I think I can see the Bishops of Winton, Sarum, and Oxon; and all that you say by way of comment on what is going on in the Church at ... continue reading

My dear Edith I should not think Miss Adams could have any objection to your girl. She has one now whose father is Miss Sturges Bourne's bailiff, and her mother a ladys maid, the girl is refined and more naturally ladylike looking than any of the others, but the sound is not much superior to yours. I am going from home on Monday for a month but it can all be settled with ... continue reading

My dear Sir William Would you be so kind as to look at page 9 of the 'Gleanings' at the beginning of the Musings on the Christian Year, and tell me whether you have any recollection of telling Mr. Keble anything about your opinion of King Charles's truth?

There is a new edition called for, and Miss Dyson wants me to take it out. Her letter coming while I was at Salisbury, I asked whether it ... continue reading

My dear Sir William Thank you greatly, I thought just as you do that it was rather a needless question since I was quite sure of the fact of what Mr. Keble said to me, and I should not have asked you if it had been any one else who advised me, but having asked him it seemed wrong not to do just what he told me.

Miss Dyson is a devoted lover of King Charles, and ... continue reading

J.F.O. slept here last night to assist at the opening of Mr. Randall's church at Clifton, to which we have been this morning. The Bishop of Salisbury, Dr. Moberly, preached most beautifully about the Shadow and the Image. Mr. Skinner is also here for it. . . Those who stayed for the luncheon are full of enthusiasm, and say it was most successful, and that the two Bishops spoke ... continue reading

My dear Arthur I should have written yesterday only that the Bp of Salisbury came to see a sick old farming man, and was a sight for sair een, who took up all my morning. I shall look out for the Maypole - my Sub is going to bring up the weeded Spiders this afternoon- 17 Chrysostoms! I think your Spider will have five competitors with the Aryans. I fully expect someone will take ... continue reading

My dear Mary

Thank you much for your letter. It is curious that Mary Woollcombe should have found the report going, but I think no one likes to speak to any of you of gossip concerning any of the family. As to the measure of the loss we do not fathom it yet, it is so mixed up with all sorts of things and people, as I suppose those things are. It is ... continue reading

Dearest Jay

If you would write to me once a fortnight how delightful it would be for we do let each other drop fearfully, and as long as my poor Gertrude is in her present state I can not go from home unles I can leave Mary Woollcombe here. She is here now, finishing a fortnights stay, during which I have been able to get a few days with the Moberlys. Near as they ... continue reading

. . . August and very dreary it was to see the beautiful rooms at Heaths Court with no mistress. I still believe that there will be a great awakening from the present blindness, and Mary . . .

I think Winchester is a rock that binds its limpets fast - not a good simile either for the limpets do go off, only perhaps it is their affections that stay there. I have not near ... continue reading

A. must have known him at Trinity. He must have just missed Dr. Moberly at Winchester. . . . What I think wants to be understood now especially is how far want of faith is to be treated as Sin. The Bible and the Church have always done so (query). And now even the good seem to think it is only to be dealt with ... continue reading

Dear Mr Bullock, Here is Salisbury. I am sorry I could find no more to say about it, the cathedral having been all built at once, and the Bishops not having been memorable except the last four. Burnet I could not put in! The sunshine on the Altar on the 15th of August is quite true. I have seen it twice

Yours sincerely C M Yonge