My dear Fanny

Mrs Selwyn comes on Thursday, the Bishop on Saturday. It will be a very thing if you do go down to enliven Mrs Selwyn on Friday for it has so turned out that this week is the only one when I can go down to see my poor dear old May, so I am going down there from Tuesday till Friday evening or Saturday morning I am not sure which. I am ... continue reading

My dear Glow worm,

Let us have the Redan then though I am a little puzzled about the greater proportion of Goslings having brothers in the army – if you counted Humble Bee as one[,] your Army List misled you for the Alfred Moberly there is only a cousin. I spent Saturday evening with her, and told her all your questions, and she shuddered at the notion of the Redan. However that is no reason against ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, I send both title page and the proof of the statuette, which is indeed most beautiful and suggestive. I wrote yesterday about the title page. I could not do so before as I only came home late on Saturday and the Sunday post goes early. I enclose the list of presentation copies

Yours sincerely C M Yonge

Will you be kind enough to send the sheets of the Golden Deeds to Messrs Williams & Norgate for ... continue reading

My dear Mrs Johns,

I have been waiting to write till I could see whether we could manage bringing Alice Coleridge up to Winton House, as we quite hoped to do at the beginning of her visit, but our having other friends with us all last week made it impossible to be contrived, and now she is going away on Thursday and I do not see my way for either tomorrow or next day, so I ... continue reading

My dear Christabel Photography must certainly turn you into a most pensive mood. You are a great contrast to the solid jolly damsel in the old Gosling book. Your Ridge is very good. I will send it round with the answers, but as yet I have had no answers but Cricket and Lady bird, and the Turks cap has been so ill used that she has had neither questions answers nor Barnacle, this time – so ... continue reading

My dear Frances, Is this a very outrageous thing I am going to propose. You must know Goosedom has had a shock and a revolution, chiefly induced by Mildred Coleridge having no time for it and her aunt therefore losing her interest in it. So after having very nearly broken up, we are beginning again in a more brilliant manner, and the thing is would you condescend to be a Gosling. All you would have 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 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 think they were rather dull questions this time and they have not produced brilliant answers but your tradition is by far the best. Poor Florence strained her back, and cannot do anything for either answers or Barnacle though she is getting better- and some of the Goslings are abroad and some visiting.

I hope your Changeling is coming, as the Barnacle will be very thin. I am keeping it to be bound ... continue reading

My dear Christabel I hope you did get my letter of thanks to Goosedom after all, though I was so stupid as not to direct it to you at your friend’s, it was a stupid letter in itself, but I was very much hurried at the time, and could not even write to you with it and since that I have been quite laid up, though I am promised that the result is to be getting ... continue reading

My dear Christabel What that Ivy did about her questions I cannot conceive, for both Frog and Cricket say they have had none, and yet there are some answers come in from Double Daisy and from nobody else

I have got Frances’s lame sister with me, and she is always pleased to help me by copying, so she has written out the questions for me Will you ask the next? After these that I ... continue reading