Seward House
Badsey
21st June 1881
My dearest Husband,
Thank you for your Sunday’s letter received this morning, I am so glad you are enjoying yourself & hope the change will do you a lot of good; you must come home with a tremendous appetite. I have just been doing some gardening, distributing all the standards & seven rows of dwarfs in the Pool garden; I found a little green fly & wonders will never cease, actually squashed them with my fingers! I can’t let Mrs Taylor have that cup. It is very windy this morning & I rather tremble for your early-budded roses, but Roberts says he has tied them all, I must try & look round them tomorrow with Florence.
I go up to meet the latter this afternoon & shall do a little shopping beforehand, as usual I have some to do. I spent a pleasant evening at the Savorys yesterday, they were both very nice, Mr Savory more talkative than I have ever found him. Edith had a ticket given her for Jennings’ theatre, so I let her go & she called for me on her way back. As we walked home I enquired how she liked Ellen & she said she seemed a nice girl & so beautifully clean. Certainly I am very well satisfied with her so far & only hope she will continue to do as well.
Miss Ashwin is engaged to a Mr Henderson whom she met on her yachting expedition, a pretty good match I fancy.
The children are very well, Jack had a good game on the stairs with Edith when he came in from his walk, I could hear him shouting “No E. go away E.” She says “Papa, gone away, train” & when I ask if he wants you home again he says “Mm” which I suppose means yes.
I heard from Miss Hougham yesterday, she will not come to us this summer, she says she has had some heavy expenses & also Mrs Thatcher & her daughter are coming to stay with her.
There are no roses out but the summer ones & one or two half forward things, you won’t miss much in that way, & the strawberries are not very plentiful either as yet.
My lunch is ready & after I have had it & the children I must dress, or I shall keep Mr Ridgeway waiting, so I will close now. With love to all & much to yourself, my darling
Believe me
Your loving wife
Eugénie N Sladden
