12 Charleville Circus
Sydenham SE
May 17 1914
My dear Mother
I am glad to hear your cold is better and you are out again. The weather is lovely again now and I expect you are enjoying it. I am sitting in the garden writing this, having a solitary afternoon for once as Jack has just started to go to No 9, Cyril has cycled over to Blackheath and George went off yesterday evening to Bisley after an afternoon’s tennis. He will be back this evening. In fact I daresay they will all be in to supper.
Cyril was at Walton yesterday, met Cecil and after dinner brought Mela back to Blackheath and got back here about eleven. He liked Cecil I think and is going to meet him again on Tuesday for lunch. I met Mary yesterday morning and we went to Liberty’s together where she wanted to get some cushions. Then I lunched with her and we went together to the Bechstein Hall to hear Lamond’s Beethoven Recital. He was most excellent; Ethel will remember hearing him about a year ago. Then I went back with her to tea and dinner. Arthur came in about half past six. He had been busy working at the library reading up for the paper for the quarterly Journal of Medicine which he wants to finish by the end of the month. In spite of having had a very busy week I thought he was looking well and still quite brown though not as he was when he came up from Cornwall. I had not seen him since that day although I have seen quite a lot of Mary. I am glad she has engaged a maid at last although she cannot come in until June 4th. However she hopes to be able to get a woman who can come in all day in the meantime. The flat looks very nice now that everything is there. The drawing room looks much more like a room to live in now the revolving bookcase is there; especially as they have filled it with such nice books. I feel I could spend a long time there very happily reading many of them and you will feel the same I think when you go to stay with them. I am sorry it seems that your visit to Aunt Fanny will fall through for the present. We are all counting on your being one of the Newport party for a good long time too. George will like to go down there after camp about Aug 15 I expect and is looking forward to spending the rest of the month there. He says it is years since he had a proper seaside holiday and is looking forward to it very much. Jack’s dates are not settled yet. He may come earlier perhaps. We girls can settle things between us later.
I am so glad to hear you have to cheerful willing maids and I do hope they will be thorough and sensible and stay some time. Ivy seems inclined to settle. I am glad she came back happily after her weekend at home. Mrs Horsman is much better and stronger though she still has some strength to pick up. She means to attempt a little cleaning this week; one or two bedrooms. I hope she will not find it too much. The parcel from Dolly was such a dainty nightgown which she had made and embroidered herself in English embroidery on the material itself. It was nice of her to spend all that time and trouble over it. She had intended to send it for my birthday but in the end only sent it off that day as it was not finished. May will sympathize. I wonder how the bedspread is getting on. Now I will go and get my tea I think.
Much love from
Your affectionate daughter
Kathleen
Please tell May I will write to her in a day or two.
