Badsey
Evesham
July 8/97
My Dear Kathleen,
We were glad to have your nice long letter on Tuesday and to hear all about your prize giving day and of course especially pleased at your individual success, upon which I heartily congratulate you. Dore’s Milton is I know a splendid book and will I am sure be to you “a joy for ever.” I am glad too that you have taken the Divinity prize, 37 years ago I gained one in that subject and did ditto in four succeeding years. I am glad the roses travelled so well and gave such pleasure, they are lovely in the garden now and I was obliged to take Mother out this evening to show her a bloom of “Marquise Lita,” it was a beauty, to-morrow Mrs Adkins is coming to see them, we asked Mrs Hope but she is at Malvern and cannot come. I hope you are feeling in “good form” for the examination next week, we were interested to see your time table and shall think of you as the exam goes on, you are quite right to aim high, you know “faint heart never won” and with good luck in your papers I hope you may come out well in the list.
We balanced up the Jubilee accounts on Tuesday there was nearly £50 collected but we managed to get a balance in hand of nearly £4 this the committee made up at the meeting to £5 which was handed over to the bell fund, on Saturday we are going to have a meeting of the bells committee and I expect it will be decided to put the work in hand at once so as to complete it this year, room will be provided in the new iron frame work for the two additional bells to make a peal of eight, these can be added subsequently, if the funds do not admit of it immediately.
Arthur comes home on Tuesday 27th I hardly expect him quite to gain a prize this time, but then his scholarship must count honours. Grannie goes to Deal next week, into lodgings, to enable her to visit aunt Susan who is at Rosway, she says she will only go for a week but she might just as well stay longer when once she is there.
With much love to you both
I remain
your affectionate Father
Julius Sladden
I rode all the way up horse-bridge hill on my “bike” to-day and never dismounted from our house to the brewery.
