Seward House
Badsey
Evesham
June 30/08
My dearest Wife,
I will take the opportunity now that George & Lizzie have gone for a little tricycle ride (6.40) to write a letter for the morning post, they arrived about 3 P.M. and I found them here when I got back rather late to tea having railed to Redditch and cycled back from there through Astwood Bank and Alcester, it was hot ride but tempered by a nice breeze.
Fancy you, poor thing, without your letters so long and we had been trying to keep you well posted up all the time. I was glad to get your letter yesterday and hear all about your doings and your plans for returning, we are all beginning to count the days till July 8th. It will be nice for you to have a peep at them at Sydenham, I do not think I could spare them that time if you were able to get through that evening! We shall expect you by the 1.45 due at Evesham 4.17 unless you want to arrange otherwise.
The roses are simply glorious but if this weather holds they will be rather on the wane next week.
Juliet is now out for a walk with Alice, I expect Ethel told you the latter was to commence her holiday next Saturday.
I felt sure you would find Aunt Lizzie an agreeable travelling companion please give her my love and say I wish she could see the roses at the present moment.
May will be at Frinton on Sea now, she hoped to call upon the Popes at their hotel on her way across London yesterday, I wrote and asked them to come to luncheon one day if they were staying at Birmingham but they are afraid they cannot spare the time.
Ethel keeps very busy, she is having a little port wine as a sort of tonic, it would be rather a good thing if she and Judy could go to the seaside in August, I suppose you would not care to ask Anna if she could take them in for a fortnight and it is quite likely she may have all her visitors arranged for.
Arthur will we hope get down to-morrow night after his exam.
I can now give you an address for Charlotte for Lizzie has a letter from her dated June 25 she wants letters at present addressed Mrs C.M. Hayward
Poste Restante
Champéry
This letter was written from Le Grand Hotel, St Gervais-les-Bains – and thereby hangs a tale – I had better quote her letters for your edification and that of Aunt Lizzie and I doubt not you will laugh “consumedly” when you recall the weeks of preparation for this journey aided by “Mr Cook’s Man”.
Here then is what she says, “here we are by mistake when we reached St Gervais we found we should have changed at an earlier station, much earlier, and that we could not reach Champéry this evening. Our luggage most of it was registered for Monthey but our tickets did not say we were to change anywhere until we reached Monthey and no one came and looked at our tickets. An official belonging to this hotel took possession of us and said he would see we caught an early train to-morrow. We got into the ‘bus with our hand packages and I concluded we should be at the hotel in a few minutes but no such thing, we kept ascending higher and higher by a winding road until Norah began to think the hotel like Mrs Harris was a myth. When we actually arrived I said to our conductor we should have stayed at an hotel nearer the station but he only shrugged his shoulders and said it would have been very hot down there and here the view is very fine”.
Can’t you imagine her being “in a vapour”, and thus an easy prey to any hotel tout. However they seem to have had a good crossing and a fair journey with the exception of this little episode.
We have been sitting out in the garden late for it is quite warm.
Best love to you dear Wife I shall be so glad to get you back but am pleased you are having such a nice trip.
I suppose the journey from St Gervais to Champéry is roundabout for it was to take from 9 A.M. to 5.30 P.M. Forgot to add her remark when telling us the time it would take “So we must ask for sandwiches”. This is delicious and I hope the sandwiches were too.
Your loving Husband
Julius Sladden