At Clay Cross Hall
Chesterfield
March 21st/03
My dear Ethel
I was very glad to get your long letter about all your doings & was specially interested to hear about the Windsor people. I am glad you introduced Hildegarde to Sister M S. Kathleen seems also to have been pleased with her house & said Mr Ryland was very agreeable, perhaps he shines more in his capacity as a married man than he did as an engaged one. I shall want to hear a good many more things when I get home, you did such a big round that you must have a regular budget of news from all the different sources.
I am writing to you today instead of to Kathleen as I shall be writing for her birthday, I wonder what they think at home about the Darjeeling suggestion, it would be a very nice thing I daresay in some ways, but whatever should we do without our old Kaka for three whole years? You have certainly not had much time to yourself this term having got Kathleen back almost as soon as you got home again.
You must all have been dreadfully shocked at poor Mr Price’s death, I felt quite upset at it. Poor Mrs Price it is dreadful for her, I suppose some of her people are stopping with her.
I am sorry you had a cold & hope it is better. I have had rather horrid indigestion & back aches & other unpleasantness lately I may have caught a bit of a chill perhaps. I suppose you are busy over the spring cleaning now, the house will look quite smart with all the white washing & the new turkey carpet. Mrs Jackson has just given notice to the housemaid & I think it is as well, I have been wondering lately whether the schoolroom ever got cleaned out, it looks as if it never was swept & I think I am about the only person who ever shakes the table-cloth. Little Antony is getting much more fond of me now, at first he resented my being here instead of the former governess. Today he came a little walk with us to buy some seeds for his garden & he said to me on the way back “I wish I hadn’t got a nurse”. It will feel very strange having only Chris when Breb goes to school & I shall want Antony to hurry up & get big enough for lessons. I have been re-braiding my brown skirt & doing some other jobs to save having to bother in the holidays when I daresay there will be no lack of other work for me at home besides my own.
The New Zealand girls seemed pleased with the little things we sent, I should like to see the other letters when I get home. I hope Jack will manage to get home just for Easter, the holidays will seem very muddly this year won’t they?
With much love to you all from your loving sister
May E Sladden
