Related Letters
My dear Anne, As Sir William Heathcote is coming here this evening I take this opportunity of writing to you, I hope, to thank you beforehand for the letter I am to expect on Saturday. I think your Coronation Festival must have been most splendid, especially the peacocks’ feathers. You must have wanted Duke to help you arrange it all, I think. I know he always used to be famous for arrangements. ... 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 Alice I am glad you think ‘St Barthelemy’s Fair’ practicable. I shall very much enjoy doing what I can in the preparations, and I will try and grow as fat and dignified as I can in honour of her Majesty, Queen Philippa. I was almost afraid that there were too many characters, though I could not see how to manage with less. We can furnish a real sword and spinning-wheel. ... continue reading
My dear Alice, Would George mind being the Colonel? He is never on the stage with Edmund, and a cloak and blue scarf would turn him into a Roundhead. I do not see what else is to be done, for altering the part now would spoil the dinner scene. I am glad you are not more perfect in your parts. I say mine every evening when I am going to bed, but I cannot ... continue reading
My dear Alice, Herewith is the 'Bridge of Cramond' finished. I hope George will not think too much sentiment falls to his share; and that we shall soon fall in with that important actor, the hawk. You and your two gipsies (Emily and Annie) will make courtiers, and Zedekias will help; indeed six, besides the other actors, is nearly as much as the stage will hold. Pray be grateful to me ... continue reading
My dear Alice, The Times was quite right, Lucien was at the camp, though I cannot remember him. Montebello told Lord Seaton that he is very sorry to see our troops in such excellent order. The Queen looked in great good-humour, and was determined to see the men have their dinner. She came to Virginia Water with Prince Albert, who was sneezing and looking as if he had the measles. Lord and ... 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 Alice, The Warden has asked Charlotte and Anne to dine there to be ready for the evening meeting; but at all events they will come to you first, about 10 o'clock, to go with you to the Cathedral. You would have enjoyed a walk with us last evening in a part of Cranbury quite unknown to us, where we found some beautiful lady-fern and a dragon-fly surpassing in beauty. And so ... 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 Anne I do not like that you should not find a note at least to greet you on your return home on Tuesday to tell you that we are thinking of you and feeling with you and yet I hardly dare to say the last. Julian will write to Uncle Yonge on Monday, he had fully meant to set out on that day to be with you, but he got a chill at ... continue reading
My dear Alice, I hope George is feeling the freshness of these nice cool days, and Mrs. Moberly is contented and happy without the babies, who by Mary and Edith's account must be very funny, especially Edward. What a pleasure it will be to see George at Winchester again, and to hear of all your doings, by which I hope ‘The Daisy Chain’ will profit, as it has a Commemoration in it. ‘Cleve Hall’ ... continue reading
My dear Alice, With all our best birthday - 20-year-old - wishes, we send a peculiar assortment of presents,. 1. Eau de Cologne from the most genuine-looking place in Cologne. 2. ‘The Lances of Lynwood,’ hoping the Black Cats will not frighten Edward. 3. I doubt whether it is in your special line, but Mamma's heart was so grieved by hearing of the bereaved canary sitting disconsolate - and as she is ... continue reading
My dear little Maggie This is to wish you a very happy Christmas I think it must be happier than all the three Christmases before it, because you are old enough to know Who was born a little Baby and what the Angels came to sing while the Shepherds were watching by night. Thank you for your pretty little note to me; and thank Mamma and Alice too for theirs. I hope I shall ... continue reading
Here are the last three chapters; I think the others had better come by post. When it comes back, it is to be added that Margaret gave her pearl ring to be worked into the chalice. I have gone into correspondence with College Street about Miss Bracy. I realised that it was necessary to be careful what was said, but did not suspect danger in that quarter. I know two ... continue reading
My dear Anne- Graham and James Yonge went away before we were up this morning, and it would all have seemed like a dream if Duke had not been there at breakfast. Alice Moberly came out in the fly that fetched us, and spent the whole day with mamma; they gave the schools some buns and sugared negus by way of celebration, and I think mamma did very well.
I think we must have made a very ... 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 Alice, I was thinking of sending ‘The Mice at Play’ to Maggie, but somehow I felt that the note must be to one who could remember the old days, when the three bright faces it brings to mind were with us. If you had been people who shrank from such recollections instead of cherishing them, I would of course never have disinterred this old affair, but I know you will like the recurrence to ... continue reading
My dear Miss Jacob, We were so sorry to have missed you. I meant to have written that same evening but somehow missed doing so. If you can give us another chance, the best time would be earlier in the day - as my mother now does not leave her room till 2 or 3 o’clock so that if you could drive over in the forenoon, and stay to luncheon, we should be more sure of ... continue reading
My dear Maggie, Your book marker [is] a great beauty, and I thank you very much for it, particularly admiring the beautiful little shy bee. Mamma thanks Alice for her [note] and good news of you all. I hope we shall see you before long I am much better, and feel quite proud that I am sitting up to my work this morning while Miss Wilford is lying on her back. It is ten weeks since ... continue reading
My dear Mrs. Moberly,
Thank you for your kind, sweet, cheering note. It does seem to me truly that it is the burden of the flesh she is freed from, so entirely labour and weariness had the mere act of living been to her for months past; but with what sweet smiles! I am glad your dear Alice so thoroughly shared the peacefulness of the earlier watch, as well as that last trying day, which I ... continue reading
My dear Marianne Things have gone on well and quietly; I only wonder what I am that I seem to have no breakdown in me, but cannot help feeling for ever that the ‘Ephphatha is sung’when I think of the frowning look with which she would try to make us understand her, and that struggle to say words of praise, ‘glorify’ so often coming. You cannot think how her work, the illuminated ‘Holy, Holy, Holy,’ and ... 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
Dear Mr Craik I shall be very happy to have the Little Duke and the Dove in the Eagle’s Nest manipulated for schools. I should think there would be little to do to the Little Duke as it was written for children. I should have thought the Lances of Lynwood more suitable than the Dove as being on English history.
I know the Eversley country is full of beauty, I once drove through it. I believe there ... continue reading
My dear Alice Jill is without a doubt Gillian, which is Juliana, and can be traced in genealogies all around the country. Of course that has the same derivation as Julius, whatever that may correctly be.
In France there were two Saints, popularly called Josse. One was Jodocus apparently Welsh, who came to Brittany, then was a hermit at Ponthieue, and Jodocus Venator appears in Doomsday, so probably Josse with diminutive Josceline was our name. There was ... continue reading
My dear Elizabeth
I ought long ago to have written to you though you told me not, I fully meant to have done so, I was so delighted with the book, but we have had a sad time of illness with poor Gertrude She got better for a fortnight, and then came all the old troubles, and now she has another abscess under her knee and I do not think will be up for a ... continue reading
My dear Miss Barter,
I should think such a school as Mr Holland proposes would be a very good and useful thing. I do not see how I can help about it though I know so few people in London and I do not think there is anything for me to write about Mr Holland further than to wish him success, so I will ask you to do so for me.
I saw Alice Moberly last ... continue reading
My dear Christabel
Here are two themes for you quite true to start upon. Alice Moberly once found a diamond ring left behind on a wash hand stand in Switzerland. Invent the previous and subsequent history of that ring.
Also – At Dorchester Church in Oxfordshire there is the tomb of a Crusader, not lying peaceably on his back, but writhing round his spear. Something might be written to account for this – ... continue reading
I am exceedingly enjoying those dear old times. It is such a living over again of the dear golden age of our lives. I have made a few notes in pencil. . . I quite dreaded the first wedding. I keep it for my last hour before going to bed. I think I must put in when all the children were found on the landing ... continue reading