A sort of notion of locating a story at Market Stoneborough had made us look up the Mays and find out what they are doing now.

Blanche and Hector are just married, and Aubrey, having proved too delicate for Eton, is Ethel’s faithful pupil still, and Flora’s house is very well managed, but so stupid, and Mary is married to a clergyman.

I have changed the cart accident into ... continue reading

My dear Mr. Butler Thanks. I wish I felt more worthy of being an Exterior Sister, but I am thankful to be joined to what is good, though I do not think you would care to have me if you knew how I ‘shrink when hard service must be done,’ and what a spoilt child I have been ever since I grew up, very nearly useless in anything practical. But I will constantly use the prayer, ... 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 Mrs Butler At last I can send you the small amount for your Snow Queen She was a long time waiting before I could get her in, but she looks very pretty in the number.

I had the pleasure of seeing Grace Guinness last month, and hearing of my dear Lizzie, who is really a wonder, I wish Emma was as well!

yours sincerely C M Yonge

Your husband will be sorry to hear that the beautiful Common ... continue reading

My dear Emma I may write a Sunday letter to say how much it has been to me to read such a record of the good old days of Nest, and all the wonderful ‘go’ there was at Wantage. It was like the sparkling stream, and the clear, still, reflecting pool, both equally pure, but one full of ripples, broken but bright, and the other silent and meditative. And what a development! Certainly ... continue reading

My dear Christabel Thank you much for Giftie. She looks very pretty and I like her picture. Yes, we will, if we can, have a Christmas Barnacle. I have one capitally illustrated paper for it already from Sparrow Hawk.

Shall we send out the Questions for December, or January, I mean shall they go New Years day, or the month before?

I think we are to have a new Gosling -

Emma Butler Wantage Vicarage Berks.

Would you send her the rules, ... 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

My dear Christabel I have my doubts whether you are not in the right and Goosedom has had its day. I do not think that now I have no one to read and discuss the answers with I do my part with the same spirit and effectiveness, and there are not enough Goslings acquainted with each other to keep the thing up with animation. Gaggles used [to] do something, but there has been no ... continue reading

My dear Christabel The Goslings will not die. I find we had better kill the useless members, and get some quite young ones in keeping the questions easier- We have now left only Cricket, Frog, Double Daisy and Pixie to whom is to be added

The Honble Alethea Colborne, Beechwood Plympton

I am not sure what she is to be called - Can you still be Secretary even if you have no time for the Questions? ... continue reading

My dear Christabel

I think you should poke up Strahan, though I fancy he is very tiresome about MSS. I hope you have a copy – Goosedom is very poor this time, all the best being busy or going travelling Frog is gone to Ammergau

your affectionate Mother Goose

My dear Christabel Some of the answers are at home, and some have followed me about and I must wait to act Mother Goose till I have got them all together as I hope to do when I get to Tyntesfield the end of next week. I have made acquaintance with Gridiron, whom I found staying at Wantage. She is not so lame as Gertrude but I should think in a far more precarious ... continue reading

My dear Emma

I know nothing about Miss Butt, I suppose she has not vanished from the face of Creation as she sent me a rather foolish little book the other day called Lads and Lasses, but without any letter or clue to her whereabouts, so I think she had better be simply disregarded till we hear of her again. I cannot recollect what was the Concatenation that introduced her. I am very angry ... continue reading

My dear Mrs White

Miss Barnett’s niece, Emma Butler, who is here tells me that her Aunt is intending to write an account of your Convalescent home, so that I suppose she is only waiting for time. If she should fail, I should be very happy to have the account from yourself – or perhaps you have settled it with her – I am afraid my vote for Earlswood is disposed of

Yours sincerely C M Yonge

My dear Christabel

Here are only two Goslings and those very poor ones. Mayfly says she has had no questions since April. Moreover Frog is going to be married in September so do not you really think it would be better to give a coup de grace to the Goslings and let them turn into Spiders. Somehow I think we might let each spider in rotation send me up a few questions to ... continue reading

consciously – in extremity breaks his heart over it and is converted by his failure. I have had my head very full of it. I want to know what you think of the Apples of Sodom, for we have various controversies about it, Christabel thinks the one religious man becoming morbid and accustomed a mistake and likely to promote the popular fancy about good men and clergy, and Miss Bramston says ... continue reading

My dear Arthur Clark gives oinos as an original form of Ýíïò, and also of nous, but from the way he bracketted it I fancied he meant it for a form of one dialect, I ought to have verified it.

I see the misunderstanding that brought me wrong in the vocatives - thank you. About the English apostrophe S I meant to say more when I had more space, I only put it there to stand for ... continue reading