Marshgate House
Richmond
Surrey
9th September 1915
My dear Eugénie
Thank you for your letter. I am glad you are now less anxious about Cyril and Jack tells me his wound is healing. I hope when he is well enough to travel he may be allowed to come back to England for a good rest. How nice it was that he was fighting near another soldier from your part of the world. Cyril appears to have looked after him when he was wounded which was very kind of him. I hope someone looked after him when his turn came. Please give him my love when you write next. I hope you continue to have good news of George, my love also to him. Jack leaves us tomorrow as you probably know. I hope he and May will have a continuance of this fine weather for their weekend at Hindhead. Myfanwy is to have her leg put in plaster of Paris tomorrow, she is getting on very nicely. I was at Pembridge House on Monday, Edwin was not at all well, he keeps on growing and Dr Cooper says he must not study at all for the present, they hope to arrange soon for him to go to Banff for six months, he is very anaemic and the blood does not get properly to his brain. It is a very nice place where he is going to. There will be other young people there and it is kept by a doctor who is a friend of Dr Cooper and Edwin will have all that is necessary for diet. There are all sorts of appliances for observing his state of health day by day. Of course it is a great disappointment to Charlie to be obliged to stop his studies, but it is absolutely necessary. I hope he will at last become strong. Fanny has found a new Governess. She is younger than Miss McCulley is so I hope will be a nice companion for Eleanor. Mary and Ted want me to go and stay with them but I shall not do so much as I should like it, I would rather be at home and see Harry when he can get a short leave. I know he has been told off for home defence, but these are very uncertain days and his next move might be much further off or even abroad. Fred is in France, he left us a week ago today, is now probably again at Nancy which has again been bombarded. We shall be glad to see him safely back. Harry was up till 2 o’clock one night last week on the watch and probably with these last raids going on he has been on that duty again. Fred and Florence are going to stay with Harry about the 25th for a fortnight. My cook leaves on the 18th, the same day Ellen’s sister comes in as housemaid. I hope you will get a servant for the winter, it is so much harder to manage them. It was very unfortunate for Jack that his holiday had to be shortened and now he is doing overtime again, so has to breakfast early – come home later at least work later. How kind of him and of Kathleen to have Mrs Arthur and Baby to live with them during Arthur’s absence, it seems a very nice arrangement. Jack dined with Arthur the other evening – saw him off. Anna is coming up on 1st October for the day to help me with business matters, she is at Weymouth now. I am writing in the garden, it is a lovely day. I expect your fruit is all picked now, it is so very plentiful this year. Florence does not take at all a hopeful view of the war which I think is not surprising when one reflects that she has been out of her home for more than a year and does not know when she is likely to return to it, also they have to do on much less money. I hope for the best but I am sure there is yet very much to be done before peace can be proclaimed – the loss of life is terrible. Some Belgians have opened some shops the other side of the Bridge; a number work at the Pelabra Works. Have you read “How Belgium saved Europe”? It is most interesting, written by a Belgian Consul in Edinburgh, Fred lent it to me. Fred and Florence are making sacks for the trenches. I get the stuff at Gosling’s. Archie is going out as Army Chaplain. The Chaplain General has asked him to do so, of course his knowledge of French and German will be very useful with the wounded, he is at Woolwich before going abroad, his wife and child will go to her mother and they will let their house. Congratulate Arthur for me please after being made Captain, send my love. Courtney is now Major, twice he has offered to go to the Front again but they will not leave him yet. I enclose a cheque for schooling fund, I nearly forgot it again. When does Juliet return to school?
With my love to you all
Believe me
Your very affectionate sister
Mary Anna Robinson
