Seward House
Badsey
22nd February/99
My dear Kathleen,
I must write my letter to you this evening as I shall probably not have much time before post tomorrow.
Ethel’s post-card was just in time to prevent my posting a letter to Lance’s, which I wrote last night, asking them to send me some blouses on approval; it seems a better plan for all the eleven to have blouses alike, & I suppose Sister will get you one & charge it in the bill.
We are sending you your collars & Ethel’s handkerchiefs. I hope you will have a fine day on Saturday for the Ashford match & will manage to win it, do you go there? Or do the Welsh girls come to you?
We heard from Jack this morning, he seems to like his new rooms & says they are larger than the others; Auntie Lottie went to Ramsgate last Thursday & called with him on Mr Bartram the clergyman.
Baby has had a bad cold the last few days, it is better now & she is able to go out again, but her appetite has not quite come back yet, & she is rather fretful at time; I am afraid she is developing rather more temper than she had at one time; May & I managed to coax her to walk a little yesterday, but she is rather afraid of trying, though she pushes a chair about very well.
Yesterday was the Literary at Mrs Savory’s, May & I went; it was a musical one, entirely Sullivan’s works & a short paper was read about him. Mr Waugh sang “the Lost Ghost” in grand style & Mrs Savory sang “Oh! ma Charmante” & a very pretty piece out of the Prodigal Son very well, there was a very nice quartet & quintette & the more inferior singers such as Miss Taylor & Miss F Robarts, sang really quite well for them, so altogether it went off well. I enclose the programme; Mrs Stanley failed at the last minute, not being well, so her song did not come off.
I was at the Mothers’ meeting today, there were four there; it always seems to be a small meeting when it is my tea day.
You may think of me making marmalade on Friday, we have been cutting up oranges tonight.
We are giving up one evening a week to work for Kilburn this Lent, & I mean to ask a few people to make one or two garments.
I got hold of Eve Haynes yesterday, I can’t manage a working party, but I thought by this means we could collect a few things to send up at Easter.
With much love to you both, tell Ethel it is splendid of her to get 9th in form & 2nd in French & German,
I am
your loving mother
Eugénie N Sladden
P.S. Ethel will be pleased to hear that I have bought a mail cast for Baby, second hand, but in fair condition.
