Seward House,
Badsey
21st September 1898
My dear Ethel
I was very pleased to get your letter & must now answer it whilst Baby is having her tea; I must mind & look after her for she persists in pulling her plate off the table & otherwise misbehaving herself & when I slap her fingers she only laughs. I am sorry that you did not quite manage to get into the lower 4th form but as you do not find the work very difficult, you must do it as well as possible & then perhaps you may be moved up before long. How is your finger? Are you able to practice yet? I am glad you like your bedroom & have rather more space than in some of them. Baby was rather fretty on May’s first morning at the Woods, & I found it rather difficult to get through the work, however I gave her a powder that evening & she has been good since. Jack & May went blackberrying on Monday, so yesterday I made another small boiling of jam.
In the afternoon I went to the first meeting of the Literary Society at the Taylors, there were very few there, twelve I think, & it was entirely a business meeting. Mrs Gilpin is to be the new secretary, & Mr Taylor, Mr Price, Mrs Savory, Mrs Adkins, Mrs Wilding & Mrs Malcolm, the committee. Mrs Malcolm drove me home. Mrs Price came home last week, but I have not seen her yet. I didn’t go to church at all on Sunday. I wasn’t feeling very well so preferred to stay at home with Baby in the evening. Mary Robinson has sent the pelisse, it is very pretty, but far too big for her to wear at present, indeed I think it will have to wait for another winter. Cyril went to a circus last Saturday evening with Jack, I don’t think it was a very good one but of course he enjoyed it. There has been a funeral here today, old Obadiah Brooks, he died on Saturday. Baby is getting tired so I must finish,
With much love to you both,
I am
Your loving mother
Eugénie N. Sladden
