Ecole Normale d’Institutrices
Orléans
Oct 14th/00
My dear Father
I was very glad to get Mother’s letter & Kathleen’s on Thursday morning, thank you very much for the Evesham Standard, I shall be very glad to have it every week, it makes me feel much less out of the world. I sometimes see a French paper, but there is never much English news & what there is often makes me want to do as Arthur did, pick it up with the tongs! The post to Orléans seems rather erratic, I got the newspaper & Mother’s letter both on Thursday morning & Mother said you posted the paper the day before she wrote. I suppose you got my last week’s letter on Wednesday, it does seem a long time for it to take. Will you read the enclosed letter to Kathleen before you send it on, there is so much to tell you that I must fill both letters with difficult news.
I am rather put out at not having received my other box. On Tuesday I got a post-card from Sutton & Co’s London office to say they were forwarding it to me by their Agency, Danger & Méganck, Paris, & this morning I had a post card from Danger & Méganck to say that they expected to receive it tomorrow Oct 15th & would send it on at once, but if it was locked I must send them the key. So I must send it off today, & I hope I shall get it some time this week. I can hardly say I have settled down here yet because this week has been rather muddly, I never quite know what I should have to do next & of course that made the time drag rather. However, I hope by next Sunday I shall be able to tell you that I like my work & am getting on well. Everyone is very kind to me. I like Mme Le Directrice very much what I have seen of her. She has invited me & Mlle Varlet & Mlle Préau to dine with her tomorrow evening. Mlle Varlet is the head of the école maternelle (infant school) & Mlle Préau is the assistant mistress there. The former is stout & good natured, nearer 40 than 30 I should say. She sleeps in the room next to mine & I see her pretty often, as she is always ready to talk thirteen to the dozen I feel it is good for my French to talk to her pretty often. Besides going to Mme la Directrice’s classes I have been to several Literature classes given by Mlle Robin, they are doing “Les Femmes Savants” & “The Cid”. I find I can follow the classes pretty well generally, in a few weeks I hope I shall not have much difficulty in understanding them, at present I have to keep my attention very carefully fixed & it is rather hard work. Mme la Directrice wants me to read English with her two hours a week, I shall like doing that. My lessons with the girls will consist of conversation & making them read English & translate it into French. As Mme la Directrice said the latter would be good for me. The troisiѐme année, that is the most advanced class, are reading Dicken’s Christmas Carol, it is very difficult to translate, but there are notes in their book on the most difficult passages. The premiѐre année are mostly only just beginning to learn English so the conversation with them will have to be very simple “A man had a cat etc”! It seems so ridiculous for such big girls to be only beginning English. There is one who seems absolutely unable to pronounce an h & the pronunciation of all of them is peculiar to say the least!
I went to grand’messe at the Cathedral this morning at 10.30 with Mlle Lécuéllé, it was better than the French Protestant Church, but of course there was a lot of ceremony which I did not understand nor should I have understood the Latin if I could have heard what they said. However the music was very nice. I think another Sunday I shall go there & take my Prayer-book & find some out of the way seat where I can follow the service or not as I like.
I had a very nice letter this morning from Mme Coeuret, of course I wrote to her last Sunday to thank her for having me for the night & she wrote saying she would be glad to hear from me sometimes. I called on Mme La Roy, the lady whose card Miss Hargreaves sent me, the other day. I found her very pleasant & she hoped I would go & see her often. She keeps what they call an English School but there are only 9 English girls there, & they are not allowed to talk English at all. I saw two of the English girls, you cannot imagine how refreshing it is to hear English spoken. I have read one French novel already “L’Abbe Constantin” which I found interesting & easy to understand. There is a good library here & I can have a book as often as I like, so I shall read as much as I have time for. I have a very comfortable arm-chair in my room in which I generally sit & read after dinner before bed time. The girls dance on Thursday & Sunday! evenings & I think at other times when it is cold. I joined them last Thursday, but on Sundays I decline. I have to go out with them for a walk on Thursdays from 1.30 to about 3 & on Sundays I can either go or not as I like. I went last Sunday, but today I am writing this instead.
I suppose you saw Mr Chambers yesterday, I am glad Arthur has joined the choir again. I think he ought to have a voice. I have practised a good deal this week, as I had not much to do & I shall try & get in an hour or so every day. How are Cyril’s lessons getting on? Give little Baba a kiss & a love from May-may. I hope she is a very good little girlie. I hope next Sunday I shall have some decent paper to write to you on. I am using up old scraps at present. Kathleen’s letter seemed very cheerful, I hope she will be very happy in her college life. I am longing to go & see her nice little room which she describes. Tell Ethel with my love I should like a letter from her before long if she is not too busy, but I expect she finds plenty to do.
Goodbye, with much love to you all
I am your loving daughter
May E Sladden
