Seward House
Badsey
19th Nov 1900
My dear May,
I must begin my letter to you this evening as I may not have much time tomorrow.
Many happy returns of your twenty-first birthday, my dear daughter, I wish you could have spent the day at home with us, but as that cannot be, I hope you will have a pleasant day in Orleans & that the English tea will be a success; we shall think about you on Thursday.
Dear little Juliet went to bed very happy this evening with the thought that tomorrow is her birthday; she will be very much excited at all her presents, Father is giving her a doll, I am giving a set of bottles & cans for the dollies, Cyril a large ball & you others a very nice little tea-set, only two cups & saucers, but large enough to really drink out of. Then Ethel has been doing up the old doll’s house as a present from “the girlies”.
Tomorrow afternoon “the hassocks” are coming for our working party; this is baby’s name for the women who come, I expect she will entertain them all by showing them off her presents.
This afternoon I have been making a round of calls on Greenhill; Father had me driven up there, he has got such a nice new horse for the trap & a new harness, so with Henry for a driver, I look quite respectable! This horse is young & wants exercise every day, which is nice for us, so we get more chance of an occasional drive. I called on Mrs Rowland & Mrs Oliver New & found them both in, the latter tells me they are thinking of selling their house & living a little way out of Evesham when they can find a house to suit them. I then went to Mrs Geoffrey New & Mrs Wilding who were both out, Mrs Wilding has lately lost her brother, Dr Sherlock, out in Uganda. On my way home I did a little shopping & got a nice purse as your joint present for Ethel; it cost 4/-, 8d for each of you & I have paid myself back your share out of your money box.
How is your money lasting out? you must let us know a little while before you want some more, so that we may see about sending it.
Poor Hildegarde has got summoned for riding her bicycle on the footpath, the policeman was on horseback & in plain clothes, & she only rode quite a little way at the bottom of Horsebridge hill because the road was so filthy & there was also a dray in the road. She thought she would have to appear before the magistrates today & Father offered to go with her, however Mr Tomes & Mr Adkins told her she had better not appear but simply pay her fine to Mr Cox, so she did so, & came in on her way home to tell us all about it. She & Ethel are going up tomorrow evening to the Choral class, if it keeps fine enough for bicycling.
20th Nov. We have had such a muddly, heaps of people coming & wanting all sorts of things, we never finished dinner till ¼ to three and then “the hassocks” arrived at three & have only just gone, so I must finish off quickly.
We were pleased to get your nice letters this morning, Baby was very pleased with hers I am glad you can go to some lectures sometimes, it is a little change for you & very good for your French; I expect we shall be able to talk quite well together when you come home.
Father has told you about poor old Dip, I hope his throat will soon get better.
Yes Christmas does seem to be getting close, we have been trying to begin the mince meat, but have only managed to get as far as weighing some of the fruit.
With fondest love & best wishes
I am
your loving mother
Eugénie N Sladden
