Seward House
Badsey
10th June 1907
My dear Ethel,
Here we are home again, we arrived about 8 o’clock & found the servants here all right & ready for us; the house had not run away & does not seem any the worse for being shut up. We were glad to get your letter this morning at Weybridge, I hope you will have warmer & pleasanter weather for the rest of your stay; it was quite hot & stormy yesterday at Weybridge & again this morning, but down here there has been a good deal of rain & it is quite chilly.
Father & I were at Richmond on Thursday; you will be surprised to hear that Anna is not going out with her husband at present, the fact is she is expecting already! & they are afraid of the long & trying journey for her & think it best that she should stay at home; they had only decided a day or two before & were both rather in the dumps at the thoughts of the parting, Joseph leaves about the 17th.
Aunt Lizzie was not able to come & join us at the theatre on Saturday, she had a bad bilious attack a few days before which kept her in bed for a day or two, it was a pity. We all enjoyed the play very much “Clancasty” is a very good piece, Lewis Walker was very good & I like Evelyn Millard very much & an actor named Macintosh acted William III very well indeed. Kathleen was looking well, their little dinner on Thursday went off very well & afterwards they took Auntie & Mabel to see the fireworks at the Crystal Palace. The latter are still doing London, today they have a ticket from Colonel Long for the House; tomorrow they go to Oxford, lunch with Arthur & see the sights & return by water on Wednesday & Thursday I believe they move on about Saturday, going to Cambridge, Peterborough, Norwich etc.
We found a letter from Uncle George, he seems to have enjoyed himself in Scotland; he does not give a very good account of Uncle Frank, they started yesterday for Bournemouth & I hope the change may do them all good. Aunt Fanny is not very well, & the last few days she has had a lot of bother with James’ wife who has been getting very drunk & making herself most objectionable. Frank & his wife were to arrive in London today. I will leave my letter open & tell you about poultry in the morning.
Alice enjoyed her holiday, but I am afraid Edith was rather spoilt as her young man’s brother fell into a well & was drowned the day she went home. Juliet is pleased to be at home again though she enjoyed herself very much, especially the few days she was at Byfleet. With much love
I am
Your loving Mother
Eugénie N Sladden
P.S. The chicks are all flourishing, but only the big white duck is left. Eggs have averaged 8 to 9 a day.
