Seward House
Badsey
6th November 1902
My dear May,
We were glad to get your post-card & I must try and send you a few lines before post to let you know how we all are.
I was able to get up in time for dinner on Tuesday & am better, though not myself again, & Father’s cold is no worse but he has not got rid of it yet.
The proceedings on Tuesday went off very well, it was a nice bright day. The Hunts all looked in after service to see me before proceeding to the Vicarage; Cecil came after all & with a cousin, stopped at the Crown Hotel; he looks very well, but Charlie has got almost white hair since his illness & looks quite old & he does look so short by the side of his wife who is very tall & very pretty.
The affair at the school seems to have been quite successful & the people were delighted to see the Hunts & speak to them. Father went down a little while & Cecil came back with him & had a smoke & a chat with us; he has left the army & is in business in London.
Mr Vines is a pleasant old gentleman, Father liked him; Ethel managed the supper all right on Monday, Mrs Wilding did not turn up, which was perhaps just as well.
Eva Hunt came in yesterday for a good chat & Miss Price did ditto in the afternoon & today we have had Mrs Ashwin & Mrs Idiens, so you see callers are numerous.
Uncle Dilnot amused himself by going again to Worcester on Tuesday & there he ordered two afternoon tea sets, one for Aunt Bessie & one for me, isn’t it kind of him, it is to come in about ten days. Yesterday he & Father went to Bristol as they had planned, they fetched Marian at 12.45 & she lunched with them & then they went to see Uncle Noakes & Aunt Sarah; the former is quite the old man & rather shaky both in mind & body.
We get rather conflicting accounts of Uncle George, some think him very bad, some a little better.
Uncle Dilnot went off this morning, Ethel & Juliet drove up with him to see him off, so he was looked after by his nieces to the last. We shall quite miss him, he is such a nice fellow & has so much to talk about.
I have not yet succeeded in finding that recipe, Ethel is hunting again now; I hope Miss du Pré has not been too trying , don’t be too meek with her.
That servant can’t come or won’t, & from all accounts it is rather a good thing, I have just written to another sent by the Worcester Registry.
With much love, dear
your loving mother
Eugénie N Sladden
P.S. Can’t find recipe, will send on as soon as I do. Ethel’s love.
