My dear Christabel I send you the Barnacle. I had thought of keeping it for May, but as she does not come till the 6th, it would be too long. After all the sheets of the Caged Lion have got bound up wrong by my fault, for I forgot to number the pages. I have now numbered them and put a notice that the reader must manage accordingly The difficulty in keeping always the same order ... continue reading

My dear Christabel I am sorry not to have written to you before, but I could not get time before. It does seem to me good time for a story again, but do you not think the Proverb foundation has been rather much worked and could not the subject be proposed in some other way. For instance suppose they were set to Write a story shewing the difference between Romance and Sentiment Only that cuts up ... continue reading

My dear Christabel Here are the answers but I really have no time to do their Cackle. The two months holidays come now, and would you kindly tell the brood that I think they had better not send me any questions after the holidays till I tell them. I hope by no means to give up Goosedom in the end, but Mamma is so sadly failing that I must for the present drop all unnecessary claims ... continue reading

My dear Christabel Here is another Gosling for us, and I should think a good one. She is a granddaughter of Dr Arnold her father being Mr T Arnold, and Frances Peard knows her well, which is almost equivalent to an introduction to a [sic turn of page] I send you her letter that you may see the nature of the bird and also consider of the Guernsey goose. I think we had better have her ... continue reading

My dear Mary Thank you so much for your long letter and history of all your doings. I am sure if usefulness makes a happy life this ought to be one, and you must have much of kindness and of the sense of a living Church round you to fill you with energy. I do not know whether you have ever felt a sort of sense of the absence of the whole salt of life in ... continue reading

Dear Miss Phillpotts, It seems hardly fair to have kept your paper several days, when the Monthly Packet is obliged to 'draw a line' against the numerous Missionary Papers it might have, but I wanted to show it to Miss Crawley - who you know, as well as Miss Morshead was one of the first Sisters.

She begged to keep a copy of it, and I think it would be most advisable to publish it. I was ... continue reading

My dear Mary I send you the Melanesian paper; would you do as the Bishop asks, and send him your address and two stamps, and so get the paper regularly sent to you? Partridge sends me a terrible number, and now they are not to be gratis to subscribers. We have told them to send in their names to Bishop Selwyn; it is getting rid of a good deal of bother.

Moreover the [[other:52]Monthly ... continue reading

My dear Mary This is Mr. C.'s paper; please return it as I want to keep the Hursley papers. I did not see the original articles, nor have I read the horrid book, but the day that the Church Times had its article came one of A.'s letters admiring it. I wrote strongly to her on the danger of being fascinated with such books, and the horrid irreverence, and I also wrote to the ... continue reading

Dear Mrs Belfield The precious mittens are safely come - it is a very curious genealogy for them - They are exactly like some little lace mittens of the 17th century figured in Mrs Earle’s ‘Child Life in Colonial days’

Madam Cromwell must been Elizabeth daughter of Richard who died at 83 in 1741 - Her mother, who was Dorothy Major of Hursley died in 1675 - so the mittens could not have been sent to her ... continue reading

Dear Madam After having exhibited the mittens to various very respectful admirers and waiting in vain for my Cousin to come and see them last week I have decided on sending them to her registered and I am sure she will carefully return them in a short time with many many thanks for the privilege.

Yours thankfully C.M. Yonge

My dear CC Tory is banished, Juliette fell in love with him, so he is gone to Witham Chase, a very good home for him, and Vic is left lamenting – The mother mews all over the place but as she did before Tory went, I think it is from native accidie, not maternal grief- Aimée brought Miss Price to tea and sent Juliette, a little friend and a sort of semi governess to ... continue reading

My dear CC Poor Queen Margarita This to be added to all the other dreadful things that are going on. Letting off an anarchist just encourages the rest.

Annie Cazenove’s long time of watching and perplexity is over, her mother died suddenly at last in her sleep. I wonder what Annie will do, now she is free, very well off I believe. I wonder how your discordant element will settle down ... continue reading

My dear C C Does not your paper want something more of practical application, not that I quite see how it is to be done. Maud and Lily are capitally described, but the upshot is that a nice girl does not like to be mixed up with them- also that mothers should be exhorted to keep girls nice – and mistresses to take care whom they take.

Would be possible to bring it more to a ... continue reading

My dear C C Do you know that Innes’s stock has been taken by Ward & Lock? I heard it second hand from a lady who has been enquiring after her goods. I suppose you had the letter asking creditors to accept 5 per cent. I asked what was become of the remains of what was half mine and half theirs and was told that Tanner did not know. I think we ... continue reading

My dear C C I hope the change will be a success. I did not know there had to be so long an interval, I do not remember it here, but as it was between old friends there might have been some arrangement. Wells Gardiner will not reprint ‘Forget me not’. I wonder whether I ought to try SPCK, they took Mary Bramston’s FL story last year - I don’t think Macmillan ... continue reading

My dear C C By all means-

My people sail on the 26th I think Mrs Woollcombe stays till Novr 1 and Lottie does not come till the end of the month Mary Morshead comes to do her African lectures on Mondays She has just given her first and you will come in for the two last-

I had a very interesting East London parson to entertain on Sunday week, a Huguenot who had ... continue reading

My dear C C I suppose Torquay is one mass of black, and everyone telling of having been the last to get some thing needful. It is altogether solemn and beautiful the fit close of the life. Helen heard 81 naval guns and 81 artillery fire at Gibraltar, and they are living with all their front blinds closed. She is looking out for her boat so I hope to be hearing of her starting. ... continue reading

My dear C C The Kings of Scotland were Earls of Huntingdon from the time of St David, and sat in parliament as English peers down to John Baliol.

Newspaper history has been a good deal at fault. Miss Finlaison saw that Henry VII married a daughter of Edward III which might have been only a misprint, but that it went on to say that Lionel had no children and that the York claim came from ... continue reading

My dear Edmund, Here is an entreaty I have had from Mary. I can’t worry the old Warden, and I don’t know what niece is with him. I don’t think there is much to see extra at New College, but would you send her a note to make it possible. I think one sees the Hall naturally, and there was not much in the Library to see, but I suppose William of Wykeham’s staff is only ... continue reading

My dear Christabel I did not mean to admit another Gosling but an old promise has come up to Beatrice Morshead, Bog Oak’s sister, who like her abides at Wiverton Plympton. She is a very nice girl but I don’t think will prove as brilliant as Bog Oak was. Will you tell Cherry to send her questions – if it be Cherry’s turn. I have had none from her yet, and I can ... continue reading

My dear Mary

Thank you, this is charming! I do not know that the fun and the presents need necessarily be connected—could we not have one of those puppet shews where the girls are the puppets? Or could we have your own old Blue Beard, which would be the best fun of all—if it does not take up too much time and space and people. What do you think?

And for our own delectation, we would have ... continue reading

Dear Mr Craik

I think the printing may be begun at once of Stray Pearls, and the proofs had better come to me as inconsistencies arise when tales run on long. And besides I always find that the printers make their worst blunders when their copy is in print. I suppose they set on their worst hands. Clay is sure to have the copy. It may very well come out in April - it will only ... 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

My dear Mary

I am very glad you have this respite, it is so much better for you all. And you must be glad of time to put things in order, and see about Sister Sarah. I send the answer to the Febry question as no doubt you meant to keep them all together. I have put in your apology and I cant put in the Jany class list now- as the printers must ... continue reading

My dear Mary

I don’t think I would venture. I think you would probably be left in the lurch in some way or other and the name is not known enough to inspire any confidence.

I think you might find some one who would take the risk which would be much better for you. I am making my way home from Devonshire where I have been first with Mary Yonge and then with Mary Coleridge, and I ... continue reading