My dear Miss Bourne To answer while the observations are fresh. 1. Lord Ormersfield was meant to be courteous & respectful with his aunt, but undemonstrative, and I cannot fancy him saying ‘Aunt’ - though he would talk of my aunt.

2. Mrs Frost was a woman who went by feeling, and only disposed to work for her son, & bask in his presence.

3. Louisa’s health was so broken that no one expected her to survive her ... continue reading

My dear Miss Butler I enclose with the Packet’s warm thanks the pay for Likes & Dislikes. I am so glad to think of the continuation for I think the notion of setting Emily to tame young ladies running to seed an excellent one.

Miss Sturges Bourne has just been conducting a sick cousin to Wiesbaden, and thinking with much diversion of Helen. She was near going to Marienbad itself which would have been amusing. ... continue reading

My dear Miss Bourne I waited a few days to see if time would come to make something like a drawing, but waited in vain, so now I send a mere tracing of what my notion is, as well as the size of our letters and Numerals, the Exodus in red with blue border, the figures blue with red, and white patterns on all. I wish they would look as pretty in the sketch as ... continue reading

My dear Miss Bourne, Our difficulties are so far lessened that the married servant I mentioned once to you can come for a few months to teach both house and kitchen work, so I do not think we shall take a laundress unless some very splendid ready made article should turn up, as we do not want to have too many people about, & hope to keep Mrs Attwood till after June, for the sake of ... continue reading

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 Bourne,

Taking out your letter to answer I see that you return to Pickhurst on Monday, so I must direct there. I wish I had written on Saturday. Is it that Mrs Laidlaw that you have lost - there was something in her countenance and manner that I liked very much, and how are the little children disposed of? We shall be very glad if you can give us a day after your ... continue reading

My dear Miss Bourne,

If you ask what business have I to write, I can only answer that I do so out of the abundance of my heart which wants to speak out on great and little matters.

We wish you would, or let Charlotte make a P.S. to the review of My Life, out of your letter, it says so many things that have not been said, and should be said on that endless subject – ... 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

My dear Miss Bourne,

I believe I sent you a queer incoherent note yesterday, but we were so glad to find the hospital taken up in that quarter that there was an immediate impulse of writing, not very rationally carried out I suspect. Now after seeing your note to M A D I will begin with Ploughing and Sowing about which I thought I had told you long ago. 'My Life' does not write from it, ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, We are still constantly reminded by our own condition of the nursery tale of the old woman whose rope -rope would not hang butcher - butcher would not kill ox, &c &c, only unluckily the last link in the chain does not stop at 'I shall not get home tonight', but as long as plasterer will not plaster stairs and stairs can’t be gone up &c, &c, I cannot finish Golden Deeds!

I can ... continue reading

Miss Yonge would be much obliged if Messrs Macmillan would send three copies of the Heir of Redclyffe directed to

Miss Buffham Miss Sturges Bourne’s Testwood Southampton

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

Dear Mrs Packe I hope the weather will remain fine to the end of this sad day. I shall think of you in the lower end of the Church yard beside the grave of that life long friend. The loss to you must be unspeakable. You and your Sister were with with [sic] her as very little girls, younger than your children are now the first time I ever was at Testwood. ... continue reading

My dear Mrs Latimer I rejoiced much to see your writing again though I burn with shame that I was in debt to you, having rather dawdled over my thanks for the African book which told me much more than I knew before about that dismal country which really seems to me to have such an effect on people’s tempers as to make them quite unlike them selves. There has enough happened to make a fresh ... continue reading

My dear Ellie

Thank you. I have written to Logan to begin next Tuesday the 29th. To start at the quarter is convenient to one’s memory. I suppose he can hardly be Miss Sturges Bourne’s old Logan, is he his son?

‘From Lynn to Milford Bay’ I thought of on Tuesday when our fire was blazing built judgematically under Mr Dennis’s superintendence so as to be bright for half an hour and then to fade. Seven ... continue reading

My dear Miss Bourne Gertrude is very thankful for the snowdrops and much pleased. Yes, Frances is still about, and at this moment I have Florence Wilford here, she has been nearly killed with nursing the two old ladies at St Cross, and is here now collecting a little strength, I hope, I do not quite know for how long. I seem to have all visiting disorganized this year, and now some evening Wednesday ... 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 Mary

I am with Miss Sturges Bourne till Saturday and then poor Mildred has written of the sad end of their anxieties, a letter direct from Beatrice came after, with more hope in it; so I suppose the poor boy must have sunk in one of those fits of suffocation. It is very sad, and will half kill poor Mrs Morshead, who seems to have been able to do so much less ... continue reading

Dear Miss Johnstone

I send you a cheque which has come to me this morning. The sender of it - Miss Sturges Bourne suggests that if you embark from Southampton, Edwin Jones, High Street, would make up a parcel to your order of ready made things to meet you but I dare say you have plenty of the kind of shop to supply you. I am going to send one of your papers to ... continue reading

My dear Lizzie

Beatrice Morshead wrote to me on Saturday, so that I had her letter at the same time as yours. I had heard from Miss Bourne the day before this change. Beatrice's letter seemed as if there was a little more revival, and it seems now to be possible that there may be more vitality even now than we thought. But one cannot wish for aught but rest. There was something ... continue reading

My dear Lizzie

Thank you for your kind letter. This is the dear Mrs. Gibbs's burial day, and I have been prevented from keeping it properly by Mr. Brock suddenly knocking up this morning with neuralgia and sick headache. If it had only begun yesterday he would have got help on such a great Saint's day; but that is not to the purpose. We knew what was coming for nearly a month; ... continue reading

My dear Miss Bourne

Thank you, I wish I saw my way, but I have been five weeks in Devonshire, and I cannot go forth again so soon, as there is a great deal on hand, and lee way to make up before another holiday We have to hunt for an Infant School mistress as our very excellent one marries the master and retires. It is good for him, but bad for us. ... continue reading

My dear Miss Bourne

Indeed I would gladly if I could, but months ago Professor Freeman asked me to come and see Hannah Mores villages, and hear his recollections of her, and the time has fixed itself for next week, and after that comes harvest - and dedication feasts - and Mission Guild meeting, and I am afraid I cannot do it though I am very sorry not to see you again this year before ... continue reading