Chipping Norton
Dec 6th 1877
My Darling Eugénie,
I am going out this evening to hear a lecture on “the stars” by the Vicar, and before starting will write to you and post my letter as I go, so you ought to have it to-morrow night.
I am so glad my love that you liked the ear-rings I thought perhaps you would think them pretty.
George paid me a very flying visit on Tuesday, I was so glad to see him, he sent his love to you and told me to ask you to excuse him if he did not find time to write to you he seems very busy indeed and of course his little affair consumes all spare time! he wished me to choose my own wedding present as he thought he might have no opportunity and gave me £10 for the purpose, was it not handsome of him? we shall have such a lot of things to choose, darling, and how nice it will be to do it together, fancy this day week I shall be on my road to you for I have arranged to leave on Thursday afternoon instead of evening and thus catch the mail and sleep in the train instead of in London thus having Friday in Paris besides the pleasure of having Fred as a travelling companion, I thought of going to the hôtel d’Abbe as before: ah, my love, how happy I feel in the thought that in a little more than a week you will be indeed my own Eugénie my sweet true loving wife!
The Flints have sent me such a lovely vase, a large one, to hold flowers if necessary for the centre of a table, it is really very elegant and I think it very kind of them; my old friend Mr Marsden has sent me an extremely pretty box to hold sardines, with our initials as a monogram outside, I like it very much and of course he wrote a kind note full of good wishes.
To-day I went to the jewellers and bought your wedding ring I will not send it till to-morrow because I had better register it, if it does not fit exactly or if you would prefer one larger or smaller do not hesitate to return it because I should like you have one that not only fits nicely but that is also to your taste, I wonder whether my Eugénie will try and find the kiss I pressed upon the ring just now when I looked at it?
What a nice present Tom gave you and how kind it was of Grandmamma to think of us, we shall want a pair of lustres for either end of our drawing room shelf do you think it would be well to expend her present in that way? I should like to have something that we could often look at to remind us of the dear old lady.
I suppose you will hardly have time to do any shopping on Friday but we might find an opportunity of buying one or two things on our return home through London.
By all means send off any thing you like as fast as you get it packed; anything addressed to me will be delivered just as regularly in my absence as if I were at home and I can leave directions to have all boxes carried into a room where they will be all safe and ready for you on your arrival, I suppose about this day three weeks, darling, you will be drawing near to your new home that dear home, my love, that I have been so proudly happy to prepare for you but which seems so strange enough without your presence to gladden it and its master!
Of course I shall like my studs and will wear them for the first time on our wedding day I have no fear but that your taste will please me as it always does.
I had your piano tuned to-day by a man who comes from London (formerly with Broadwoods) he said it was in good order and was a splendid instrument not powerful, though quite enough for the room, but very beautiful in tone, he praised it very much.
I hope the house will be about, if not quite, complete by the time I leave that I may come away with the knowledge that it only needs the finishing touches of its mistress to complete it!
I must write to Gus another day.
Give my love to Charlotte and believe me my dearest Eugénie
Ever your own affectionate
Julius Sladden
