Seward House
Badsey
14th July 1897
My dear Kathleen
I have been thinking very much about you this week & wonder how you are getting on with the exam. I hope that it is not too frightfully hot at Windsor, it is warm here but there is a nice breeze. I suppose you have been doing French today, & tomorrow is the dreadful Latin. I hope the examiners will be mindful & not give you too stiff a paper. You will be rather surprised to hear that Fanny Robinson is again engaged to be married, this time to a Mr Walton, a young solicitor living at Richmond. They all seem very pleased at the engagement & it is not to be a long one, the wedding will probably be some time this year or early next year. Fanny and Auntie Polly are in Paris just now & are on their way to stay a few weeks with Auntie’s old friend, Mme Galy, in the Pyrenees. We are sending you on a very mad letter from George, he is evidently getting into high spirits at the thought of his holidays: I suppose you or he will be able to meet at Reading. I think probably Violet Gepp will come to us on the 28th straight from her school, she is also going to stay at Mrs Jones’. I was sorry to hear about Ruth Hewetson’s accident & hope she is better, your bigger girls seem to have been rather in the wars this term. Tell May I will write to the ‘Invigorators’, & get them straight to Clewer. Cyril has had several rides on the pony, one day he persuaded Miss Evans to take him for one, & he went nearly to Bretforton. Yesterday he drove to Alcester with Father & seems to have enjoyed very much, he did not seem a bit tired though he was not in bed till ten the night before, having been to Aldington to with Father to see the cricket. We had Mr & Mrs Isaac Morris over here yesterday to see the roses, we have had quite a number of people to see them this year. Ethel is quite well again, her appetite is not quite as good as it should be, but the hot weather may have something to do with that.
With much love to you both & wishing you all good luck in your exam.
I am your loving mother
Eugénie N. Sladden
P.S. Mrs Lij Crisp has another little boy, the former baby cannot walk or even sit up & if it tries will I fear be a cripple.
Father says you will have to start from Windsor by 8.35 on the 29th, & then you could meet George at Oxford, his train does not stop at Reading & then you can come in together by the fast train
