Seward House
Badsey
19th November 1898
My dear Ethel,
Many happy returns of your birthday. I hope that you have a pleasant day, though at school. I am afraid your cake will not be as light as I could wish, I don’t know how it is, but I seem to have lost the art of making cakes. Jack went off this morning & I suppose he is at Uncle Frank’s tonight. We shall miss him at home & I expect he will find it pretty dull at Ramsgate till he gets to know some people. Father & I gave him a nice edition of Shakespeare’s works & he also had a sovereign from Aunt Polly, as well as the frames you gave him. Baby appears to be going to be a lucky little girl. I have already got four presents for her, a sweet little white cashmere frock which Winnie made her, perhaps you saw it at Byfleet, a nice white corded silk bonnet which Mrs Wood made her, & today Aunt Edith has sent her a nice knitted petticoat & gloves, & Aunt Lizzie a blue frock; the latter is too big for the present, & must be put by. It is somewhat wonderfully bright, & will require a good deal of white pinafore to tone it down. Father & I have got her a toy cat, & you others a picture book. She scarcely slept at all this morning because May & I were extra busy, besides usual Saturday work there was Jack’s packing to finish, & then Harry Keen came to fetch the vegetables for Kilburn, as he kindly took them to the station for me, so they had to be tied up & labelled; I enclose a list of the senders & what they sent, as I thought you would be interested to see it; I hope they will be pleased with them, the carriage came to 4/1 but Father very kindly gave me a shilling towards it. I don’t seem to have any more news for you, as Father & May are both writing, so with much love to Kathleen & yourself & all good wishes,
I remain
Your loving mother
Eugénie N. Sladden
