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

My dear Edith It is indeed a great treat to have had a note from you again. I always feel as if my grand setting to rights when you ought to have been resting in peace was one of the drops that assisted in making your bucket overflow Friday seems to me to have been a day that in the rudest health might be felt to be like air to a fish, but how kind the ... 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

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

Dear Mr Innes I shall be glad to have fresh editions of Beginnings of Christian History and of the Pigeon Pie.

My engineering nephew has routed up an atlas of Keith Johnstone of manageable size. If that does not prove sufficient I shall try Cassell

Yours truly C M Yonge

after a bad passage. Frances and Helen both spend Christmas at the Vicarage, but one must go back when Maurice’s short holiday is over –

Henry’s old uncle, a Canon of Chichester has left him £1000

My dear C C The world seems wild with joy and flags from every window house! Maurice says traffic was stopped in London by people waving flags and shaking hands. I suppose there will be a culminating in a great illumination when it is over. Well, I shall be very glad of you on the 15th I shall like to have the benefit of the lectures, but I am afraid [[cmybook:250]my young ... continue reading

My dear Mary I have just heard from Jane Moore. She is at Ramsgate, where her husband has been sent to get over an attack of bronchitis from 7 hours work at Aldershot! She and I have had a great blow in the sudden loss of Lady Susan Blunt. You know she was the General’s cousin, and the daughter of my mother’s old friend, Lady Nelson We always so enjoyed meeting ... continue reading

My dear Mary You will like to hear that Maurice and Maude have had tea with Jane Moore in her hufet at Aldershot, which Maude says is exceedingly pretty, but they are having very hard work for 40000 men are expected at Aldershot altogether, and it generally holds 15000 and those regular soldiers whereas all these have little notion of more than a summer diversion and are very hard to bring into discipline- I do ... continue reading

My dear Mary, There are very anxious accounts of poor uncle James, the last Kate Low had seemed to think he must give himself up to be an invalid, I think however that the power of bearing confinement often comes with weakness, in those who have been most active – and what a blessing his wife is. What should we have done but for her? I do not like the accounts of Alethea Pode’s ... continue reading

which he was convicted he has had two years imprisonment & hard labour and to be watched by the police for 5 years more.

The learned say the Easter moon is right at the place which fixes for all the world. It was not full before noon which is the time they count from. You see if the full moon as it is in each place were reckoned some countries would ... continue reading

My dear Mary

All thanks for your letter, I think matters are looking better and that something less than £2000 will clear it all, but we cannot be sure till after the 24th, at any rate Julian is in much better spirits about it. Maurice must have gone to school any way, so that is the least part of the trouble, and I do not think Anne Parnell much to be regretted for she had ... continue reading

My dear Mary

Many thanks for this letter. I suppose the congestion is the great danger now, but youth does so much that I cannot help still hoping and with all the suffering it is not so sad as poor Mr Chamberlayne’s state, for this creeping paralysis has now mastered both arms, so that he can not even point to letters and spell words but he takes food, and his pulse is stronger, and they ... continue reading

My dear Christabel

Mr Wilson says that the 12th will suit him best, if we drive over early So will you let me know your train on the 11th and you shall be met at Winchester, I know I shall want to send there. By the by, perhaps I should tell you that Maurice is sent home with chickenpox, and probably the others will have it, but besides the probability that you have had ... continue reading

My dear Christabel

Thank you for your proverbs, which are very curious. There are some odd Eastern ones in todays Saturday, one of which takes my fancy, though not for a Christmas number ‘If a Jackal howls shall my old buffalo die’. I am afraid people would not understand it. I mean to have

Crow not, Croak not

as the next year’s proverb. I think most peoples’ stories are variations of a certain ... continue reading

My dear Mary

Gertrude has brightened up this week but she had an embarras de richesses on Wednesday for Jane Harper, two children, Bella Heathcote Mrs Buston and Emily Dampier all came. She could not see the last two but they are coming on Wednesday afternoon to see her.

We had 104 communicants today - 50 early and 54 late. Frances was neuralgic and could not come out so Maurice was alone. George has grown ... continue reading