Seward House
Badsey
14th January /16
My dear Juliet
I will scribble you a few lines this evening so that it can be posted tomorrow morning and perhaps arrive in the evening. I hope you had a good journey up yesterday and that you find yourself in a nice room with a pleasant companion. I hope you have lost the pain in your back, let me know how it is when you write, we shall hope to get a postcard tomorrow morning. Ethel sent you a postcard tonight to tell you about Cyril’s letter, it was nice to get such a long cheerful one. They are very glad to have got all their men away safely and to have hidden their move from the Turks who were hard at work improving their trenches and wire entanglements while the troops were embarking and getting off. Nothing was left behind, anything left being destroyed. Cyril describes looking round his section of the trench to see that nothing had been forgotten and the only article was a tin of bully beef which he at once took away, I can imagine his thinking the Turk shouldn't have it! May and Ethel had a busy morning packing fruit and this afternoon May spent up at school, putting things in order ready for Monday. Baby looked very sweet just now when Ethel picked her up ready for her ten o'clock bottle, she has been very good today. Mary weighed her this morning and she is 13 lbs, she has put on 1 lb in the fortnight, no wonder she begins to make one's arms ache. I think the black cat and Ypers miss you. Blackie was looking about for you upstairs this morning. I hope my trunk stood the journey all right and that you got it up to Highgate today. There is rather an interesting letter from Mrs Eyres-Monsell quoted in The Standard this week, giving an account of her experiences when they were torpedoed and had to get off in the boats, it must have been more thrilling than pleasant. I hope work will go well this term and that it will be a nicer one than you anticipated. With much love dear.
I am
Your loving Mother
Eugénie N Sladden
PS - Mela has not turned up yet. Was glad to get your PC this morning. Miss Lacey will really have to do less work and take a little care of herself.
