Elmhurst
Dry Hill Park
Tonbridge
Oct 19th 1902
My dear Ethel,
Here comes your promised letter, there is not a great deal of news, but I was careful not to exhaust it all in Father’s letter. You must write soon & let me know how you are getting on & what you are doing with yourself. I hope you see that Mother wears her glasses when she ought, I am very glad she has them.
Auntie Lottie was rather vague when she wrote to me the other day, but I gathered that Uncle Dilnot is going to Badsey about the beginning of next month, if I am to see him at Folkestone I suppose I must run down for a Saturday & Sunday later in Nov, but I think I must go for the mid term too, it would seem such a waste of 3½ days holiday to stop here with nothing particular to do. It is nice having Saturday as a holiday, we look forward to it the whole week, the other mistresses generally go out for a long walk or some little outing somewhere, I think it does one good to get a thorough change after feeling “schooly” all the week, only we cannot get a fine enough Saturday for a “jaunt” to Tunbridge Wells. Yesterday we could only do a little shopping in the town as it was drizzling miserably, & we finished up with a cup of chocolate & roll & cakes at Semadence’s, a Swiss confectioner’s here where everything is most delicious. The same people have a shop too at Tunbridge Wells & Hastings.
Miss Du Pré has been in to about three of my classes this week, in the IVth where she is very fond of coming there is a nice little corner behind the black-board where she went & stood last time I suppose she thought if I could not see her I should forget she was there, but I’m afraid I didn’t. She has not found fault quite so much lately, but I am afraid to say too much, one never knows what one may be in for, even when one feels most safe. Poor Miss Hilary even went so far as to tell me she wished she had the chickenpox so that she couldn’t go to school & the very next day her brother had it & she is staying to nurse him, so her wish was quickly realised.
How is Baa getting on with her kettle-work & her other needle-work? Tell her I hope she will find time to write me a letter one day.
I was sorry to hear of William Crisp’s death, how will his widow get on I wonder? I suppose you have not seen much of Hildegarde.
Do you know when Auntie Pollie is coming? Is the window put in the Church yet? I forget what day the ceremony was to be.
With much love
I am
your loving sister
May E Sladden
