Chipping Norton
Oct 2nd 1877
My Darling Eugénie,
How glad I am to head my letter with the name of a new month, during which, if all goes well, I may look forward to seeing my darling again, ah, my Eugénie, how much I want to look upon your sweet face again, and feel the rapture which your presence alone can give!
Thank you so much for your dear loving letter, you need not be afraid, darling, to avow your love, for the more I learn how entirely I have won my Eugénie’s affection the more firmly must it serve to bind my heart for ever to her.
Your letter, dear, was handed to me just as I was going to take possession of our future home, to-day I have been very busy, first with the gas-fitter, in order that he may get his work done before the painters & paperhangers, then with a house-decorator who will undertake to give an estimate for all the white-washing, colouring, paperhanging, painting &c, no slight task, as every corner of the house must be done.
I fear I cannot attempt to describe the house in a letter for it is such a queer rambling one, in parts, that I shall have difficulty in giving you a sketch even when I come over, however I am altogether very well satisfied that when it is put in order it will be a very comfortable home and one to which I think I shall be a little pleased to be able to bring my darling!
Alfred Hitchman & Willie Bliss both dined with me last night, Mr Mitchell is also back again, the goose was very good. A.H. & W.B. went over the house to give their advice to-day, also old Mr H. to see how it looked.
I have found a cheerful room on the best floor that will do for our spare room, perhaps it is a trifle small, but nothing much to complain of, and there is such a pretty little ante-room which will serve as a dressing room, with this arrangement we shall be able to put up the tester bedstead as there is plenty of height and I have written to Heal & Son to-night to make up the hangings as chosen, I have also written to Shoolbred’s to send a man down to measure for curtains carpets &c; and about the Turkey carpet, the dining room is 17ft 8inc x 15ft 0inc clear measurement, for this room I have ordered a light green colour for the painted walls with oak graining for doors &c I think we had better go in for Venetian blinds inside this room, should you like green or stone colour? aspect west.
Referring to your letter I see you ask how many floors there are to the house, well it is partly two and partly three stories high, ground floor, (cellar underneath) dining room, breakfast-room, butlers room, kitchen, pantry, wash-house, all good size, next floor, drawing room, spare-room with outer chamber, lobby &c, all connecting with one passage, then through a door leading back you pass through a small useless room, at the other side of which come up the back stairs, then such an extraordinary winding passage leading to two bedroom’s one a good sized but rather low and dull room, and our room which is very large; the top floor stairs take off from the end of the drawing room landing and there are on that floor two very fair bedrooms and a smaller one which would make a capital store room.
I have reserved a little something for the end of my letter, for my darling girl, which I can say from the bottom of my heart, I do indeed love her as I never loved before, love to be perfect must have some return.
God bless you my own Eugénie for having made me a happier man than I should ever have been without your dear love
Ever your own affectionate
Julius Sladden
