12 Charleville Circus
Sydenham SE
July 23rd 1914
My dear Mother
I wonder what sort of a day you had for the Flower Show yesterday. We had rain here during the afternoon. In fact it has been very unsettled and showery for some time now, several of our rose trees which made very little progress till lately have now taken to growing quite fast. We don’t know whether it is the showery weather, or the basic slag beginning to take effect. Perhaps a combination of both.
We have arranged with the landlady to stay on here at a reduced rental and are going to have the hall and staircase papered and painted next month after Mrs Horsman gets back from her holiday. We think of having a dark brown paper below the dado rail which runs about 3 feet from the ground and a light biscuit coloured paper above, with the woodwork painted a cream. Kathleen no doubt has told you of her Chesterfield. It is a very comfortable one, and at present stands in the window recess. I expect that in the winter it will be more comfortable to have it nearer the fire.
I wonder whether you have heard yet from Mrs Lewis whether you will be able to have rooms before Bank holiday. I hope that you will at any rate be able to go down to Newport immediately after then. Harry Robinson goes to camp at Shornecliffe at the end of this month and will be there while Father and Cyril are at Folkestone. He hopes to meet them while they are there.
We expect to have a lot of extra work at the office soon owing to the income tax having been deducted at 1s 4d instead of 1s 3d from so many dividends. So there will be a large number of claims for the 1d difference. I feel that I don’t want any extra work at present till I have had a holiday. The Anniversary meeting of the Lodge of Harmony went off very well on Saturday and The Mitre did us a very good dinner indeed. I couldn’t stay to the end of the proceedings as it was such a long way to get back.
I have got through most of “When Ghost Meets Ghost” – only about 150 pages more – and have enjoyed it more than any modern novel I have had for a long time. The title is rather a poor one but that is the only thing I can say against it. Parts of it are quite reminiscent of Dickens, only William de Morgan’s characters are less exaggerated than many of Dickens’. I am glad you liked Les Miserables. I must take a French book in hand again next winter.
With love to all.
I remain
Your affectionate son
John D Sladden
