Seward House
Badsey
5th August 1898
My dear Kathleen
I have been expecting to hear from you every day, or should have written earlier in the week. We were pleased to hear something about your doings & glad that you seem to be enjoying your visit. Certainly I should like you to come home about the time you mention, or we shall see so little of you, I expect Father will be writing to Auntie’s in a few days & he can then arrange about it; he has not yet read your letter as it came by afternoon post, & he had gone to Redditch with Jack & Arthur on bicycles. Arthur has just got home & says they had a very tiring ride home as the wind was so very high. May says it seems very funny being the only girl at home. I don’t think she has ever been without you or Ethel before, at any rate, not for many years. Baby is a very good little girl & grows so fast, you will scarcely know her. Yesterday at tea time she began to help herself to the bread & butter which had been cut ready for her, & she really fed herself quite nicely. Yesterday we had a call from Finnie Rowland & a friend of hers, a Miss Steele who said she stayed with them here some years ago & remembered coming here to tea.
Mr Price had a teacher’s meeting last night & May went down to it, left Ethel. May says she really need not have gone as the class was principally for the afternoon teachers. May was very much amused because Mr Beibitz was at the Vicarage & was talking to someone in a loud voice outside the drawing room door & Mr Price went & told him not to make such a noise as he couldn’t make himself heard. We have an invitation to a garden party at Mrs Charles Burlingham’s on Tuesday the 16th, Mrs and the Misses Sladdens. I have accepted for May & myself but don’t know quite how to manage about Baby, perhaps Clara can look after for a few hours if I can get someone to do her work meanwhile. Arthur & George’s reports have come, the latter is 4th in form, better than we expected. Arthur’s of course is splendid. I want to help May with a flowing basket of stockings.
So with much love to Ethel & yourself & all Folkestone friends.
I remain
Your loving mother
Eugénie N. Sladden
