Seward House
Badsey
12th April 1916
My dear Jack
I will scribble a few lines to you before post-time this afternoon. We were rather disappointed to find that Kathleen would not be coming till Friday after all, but I expect you were rather glad as it must be pretty dull for you when she is away. I do hope they will have the decency to give you the Saturday before Easter, if it is to be a bank holiday, that would be really quite a nice little break, enough to do you all good and freshen you up a bit. I expect Arthur told you that I am not so well again. I had a long visit from Dr Leslie on Saturday, my heart is weak again and I am not to walk at present. He wants me to do some wonderful exercises night and morning and is teaching me how to, one of the girls has to help me with them, so it will be a tiresome job for them, as when I know the whole nineteen, they will take quite half an hour, I expect. They are supposed to strengthen the heart and bring down the pulse which at present is very quick. Father is trying to get me a Bath chair, meanwhile we have borrowed the old one from the Vicarage and the girls have taken me out in it; I enjoy getting a little more air. Mr Allsebrooke looked in this morning to tell us they heard yesterday that Harold was wounded severely on April 5th at the taking of Umm-El-Hannah. Of course we had seen that the 13th Division were fighting there; I hope Cyril has got through safely this time, but no doubt there is severe fighting in front of them if General Townsend's force is to be relieved; one does long to hear that help has reached them. We had a cheerful letter from George this morning, he says Rosie had had rather an amusing interview with Mr Jacob of the Inland Revenue. I don't know whether they will find her a job after a bit. George says he is not "officially" Sergeant yet, as all the red tape takes such a long time. Ethel seems to have enjoyed her stay with you and made the most of her time as usual. She and Juliet rode over to Broadway this afternoon to a drawing-room meeting at Lady Lifford's for the Lord Roberts' Memorial Fund; I should have gone had I been well enough.
May sends her love to Kathleen, she was really too busy to write to her last week and now it seems scarcely worthwhile as she will be home so soon.
With much love to you both.
I am
Your loving Mother
Eugénie N Sladden
PS - Your letter and enclosures arrived this morning, thank you for them.
