Seward House
Badsey
2nd July 1880
My dearest Husband,
You will be expecting a letter from me so I must sit down & write before the post goes out. I hope you got to Fanny’s all right yesterday & that you will have a pleasant little holiday. It is very wet today & the children cannot go out, they were in the garden this morning but soon had to come in on account of the rain. Baby’s bed arrived yesterday & she slept in it last night, when she was first put into it, she stared about her as if she could not make out where she had got to. As soon as Jack got into my room this morning he said “Papa” & I told him you were all gone; I have just made him give me a kiss for you. These last powders Mr Haynes sent him must be stronger, we have had some accidents & I shan’t give him another till tomorrow night.
Yesterday afternoon I amused myself getting the bine out of the honeysuckle & this morning I picked & shelled a small dish of peas which I very much enjoyed for my dinner.
I did not put the padlock on the Pool garden last night; I sent Charlie up after tea thinking it would interfere less with the gardening, & he did not turn up again till half-past nine. I expressed myself pretty strongly to Edith on the subject, saying that he evidently supposed because his Master was away he could do as he liked, & I expect this was repeated for I had a most humble apology from him this morning before I had time to blow up. He has been cleaning windows & helping Annie clean the kitchen as we had the scraps this evening, it has been too wet for the garden.
I was glad to find your Mother bore the journey well so far & hope you may get down all right on Monday. I will remind Ridgeway about the fly tomorrow. I have written to Walter, I suppose the poor fellow ought to be in Liverpool tomorrow.
Mr Hunt looked in yesterday, he admired the roses I had got in the drawing-room: Mme Prosper Laugie & a fine Duke of Edinburgh.
Now my darling I think I have told you every scrap of intelligence since you left, so I will close with fondest love & kisses from
Your loving wife
Eugénie N Sladden
P.S. Tiger did not turn up till the small hours of the morning & how he got in I don’t know, through the farm-yard I suppose.
