Seward House
Badsey
20th January 1915
My dear Juliet
You seem to have had a very jolly time on Friday and a most successful shopping, what a mighty swell you will look in all your new things! It was very kind of May and Kathleen to give you a hat to go with the new dress and certainly your winter hat would not look nice with purple, also from May’s description your new one will be suitable at any time of year. May got home on Monday and travelled down with Sister Katharine who had been staying in Dover for a week. She had managed to catch a chill after the theatre on Saturday night, so was not quite up to the mark, however she is pretty well again today. Cyril moved to Basingstoke, he seems to have quite a comfortable billet; he says he can describe it to anyone who has seen the “Great Adventure”, as when he got there he felt he was in the Putney villa of Janet Cannot. Two of his companies are very uncomfortable as they are packed very closely in the schools and there is a good deal of grumbling in consequence.
Last night Father, Ethel and I and Muriel Holmes went up to the triple Bill of the combined Dramatic and Operatic. It was very good indeed, especially the first piece a “story of Waterloo” by Conan Doyle in which A H Snugly took the part of a very old sergeant who had been in the battle of Waterloo. He acted it splendidly and the others all did their part very well. This afternoon we have let the two maids go up to the performance and this evening Brailsford is going with the two Belgian men. I wonder how they will get along together! De Ridder has had a letter from a friend at Dulwich who has found work there and thinks he could find some also. May has asked Jack to go and make some enquiries about it, if he should get this work it will be more difficult to talk to them as the rest of the party cannot manage much French, however they are picking up a good many English words. I am very pleased to hear that it is French that you are going to teach and I hope you will get on all right, you must tell me what you have to do. Which is Number 1 house? Is it the one where the hall and parlour are? And how come you to have a pantry upstairs next to the bedrooms? Perhaps you mean a housemaid’s cupboard. I am glad to hear that Margaret is more friendly this term. How is the poor music going to fit in this term with so many new classes? I hope it won’t get pushed out in the cold.
It is bedtime so I must close.
With much love
I remain
Your loving Mother
Eugénie N Sladden
PS – 21st January, got your pc this morning. Your linen bag is not to be found so Ethel is sending you hers to use, but mind and sew a mark in it as she doesn’t want to lose it. I am afraid we have not got the Greek book but Ethel is sending you a Grove School book which you had left behind.
