A letter
to Rowland Holt Wilson |
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1 Albert Street, My dearest Rowland, Your 7 brothers and sisters, Miss Wood, Mrs. Jones, Charlotte and Mary - Miss Wood and I came here yesterday - we drove to Eccles Station. Miss Wood, Violet, Evelyn, Basil and I in the carriage Mrs. Jones - two nursery maids & 3 children in a fly & Arthur in the luggage cart with Chaplin. Mrs. Edward Collins stood in her garden and waved to us, I expect she wished she were going with us. We got into a carriage with Mrs. Montgomerie who told us that George is very poorly and has got a dreadful face all swelled up. Mrs. M. was going to the dentist at Norwich . When we got to Norwich the train was late but the porters said there was plenty of time & locked our carriage up - but just as we got to the end of the platform off went the train & we were all left behind! We were without lunch, but we telegraphed to Yarmouth to have our things taken care of & we made the best of it. The station Master was very polite & sorry & we came on by a train which got us here at 4 of clock - we brushed our hair & went to Mrs. Sawbridges where a scrumptious tea was provided - Mrs. Jones Leonard & Frank had it upstairs & the rest of us downstairs, then we sent Father a telegram to say we were here all right, but not a word did I say about our losing our train but we told him when he came today & of course he said "it would never have happened if he had been with us". We often wished that you were with us, but it will be much nicer for you to be at home in the holidays, as Reading is a change of air for you. Mr. & Mrs. Maul were staying at the hotel & left this morning, but Mrs. Maul told us that Mrs. Everard has a little boy - I am very glad to hear it; you will like to see it sometimes. This morning Miss Wood and I and the children went into the town. A and B had their hair cut, and Basil was much pleased at the revolving brush - they got some shoes for the beach like racket shoes which they say they mean to take for cricket if they do not wear them out here - Leonard thinks no end of himself and quite swaggers about with his spade and bucket in an old light great coat of yours! Mrs. Sawbridge kindly lent a goat carriage for Lenie and Frank today & they were very proud of themselves - the reins they tugged at were only fastened to the harness not to the bridle but that did not matter to them. Mr & Mrs. Gibson of Lounde called on us today - you saw the two girls when they came fishing with old Mr. Wilkinson last year - they have asked us to go over to see them next Friday which we shall do - we expect on Monday there will be a great crowd here. We all send best love. Miss Wood is just going to post this. Your most loving mother Lucy Wilson. |
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© Jean Sheehan, Redgrave Parish Magazine, June 2004 |
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