Title
Nancy May to Priscilla Strange 8 March 1837 Ipswich 3rd 8th 1836
My Beloved Sister,
I have been waiting to write to thee for many days, but thou must suppose that now I can move about I find plenty to occupy my time -
I feel so deeply in thy debt I hardly know where or how to begin, repay thee I cannot, not having the means except with gratitude, I took it very kind of thee to write so frequently while under most affecting circumstances and press of engagements both of mind and body as thou must have had; I believe I need not tell thee what a mournful satisfaction I should have felt in being with you in your season of trial, if thou missed me, I am sure it was mutual, but we have all been helped through so far, to our instruction I trust, and loud are the voices upon us for thankfulness to a Kind Providence for restoring some of us to comparative health.
I duly received thine of last month, we are truly glad to hear an improved account of our dear Parent, we now feel anxious for another, tell Mother I do very highly value her sweet and truly Christian letter, her bereavement is very great I consider, and we must expect her spirits for a long time to come to be variable, I was much pleased with an expression in a letter from Brother the other day which coincides with own feelings I will give it thee. I trust she will not be permitted to sink too low, we have had such convincing proof of the tender care of an All wise God in our late affliction that we must be faithless indeed should we not resign her we have so much cause to love into His Hands"
As I know your kind solicitude on my behalf, I will before I proceed further, report on that subject, the last two weeks I have regained my strength surprisingly, I have been many rides with our kind friend A.Alexander, the enjoyment of which is much improved by her good company, and yesterday I ventured to reach to Elizabeth Ransom's to dinner, and feel all the better today, indeed whilst moving gently about I feel as normal on the whole. I have much less of my old pain, and the last fortnight I have been remarkably free from it, to headache I am really become a stranger, but whilst I am giving thee this good report I tremble to think how soon the face of things may be changed, nevertheless I should indeed be ungrateful were I not to take encouragement, and thankfully hope for a continuance of the blessing, this disposition will enable us the better to meet a reverse should it please Him who [ ] to permit it.
Our dear boys seem now quite well and much enjoy walking out, which the present fine weather now allows of.
My dear C. is I think now as well as usual, but he was some time before he recovered the excitement of his late visit to you he felt the event very closely;
I am glad to find he was a comfort to you, it fully repays me for giving him up, which I assure thee was no small trial to me in my { } state, and Robert so unwell, Walter & he speak of Ampthill oftener than the day, there is nothing in their estimation at all equal to it in all the world, R. says if I do ever go to A. you will not catch me here to live", so you must take care how you invite him, he made me smile the other day - Mamma I never intend to buy anything more at {Harriet's}, Why my dear, Why, because they wrap the things in pieces of a Bible, a proper one too and that Grandmamma says is very wicked, and thee knows if she says so it must be so, she is such a good woman" -
I long most increasingly to see you all, but feel almost afraid to indulge such a thing at present, Tho' I have lost all trace of cough, or the least affection of the chest, my Brother strongly recommends the greatest care during the variable weather of this month, and I consider it my duty to observe this, seeing I am so favoured with outward blessings as to not be obliged to run great risks.
The 4th of next month my cos. Jane Brighten starts for Norwich, I hope she will come pretty soon to me, after that I do not see at this time why I should not visit you, say the first week in the 5th month, or, perhaps, I could then stay till our precious girls leave school, and part of our old plan, that thy coming with us be put in practice, but O! my dearest P. I do not forget whilst drawing this pleasant picture how soon it may be all deluded, but I seem as tho' I could not be much longer restraint on my part for us to meet but do not let it appear to Charles as my doing at present, as I doubt he will think I am imprudently premature, but I know you are have many who wish to come and see you that I needed to have the first refusal.
I hope you are settled again in your pretty abode, it must have been a great satisfaction to thee to be at liberty as to attend upon our beloved Parents -
How sweetly I fancy the garden is looking, that perhaps not so neat, for dear Father's illness, how rejoiced I am he is better, if either Mother or he should incline to move from home, what pleasure it would give us to see them here.
When you can look over Lewis's things I should value, if it were only a few lines of his composition in his own handwriting, I cannot at all realize the idea that he is sleeping in the cold grave, a fine youth, stepping over to our old shop is so connected with him in my mind, there is something very sweet, and consoling in the recollection, that as his mind developed, and gave promise of talents of a high order, that his disposition was increasingly amiable, dear boy! we had often talked of the pleasure of seeing him here this Summer -
Only think of Frank's 5th girl, we heard through G.Ransome yesterday that Jane is going on well, but that the boy is weakly this is not generally the case with them.
I hear from A.A. that her Sister is well as Brother appears in meeting. I was grieved to read what thou says of J.Morris, it does not seem as tho' his afflictions had tendered his heart towards his fellow creatures, Powell no doubt takes it as a proof of his advancement in religion, the church needs no assistance from the dissenters, if their own members act in this way, I feel almost assured the poor men who have thus stood their ground, if they continue to do so, and in a Christian spirit, will be taken care of. Poor E.Chapman, she did deserve a better fate I think, the appointment to visit him should he be transferred to her. A. advises her not to have him.
Do not omit to say how my dear E.Bennell is, she gave me I thought a very poor account of herself.
My cos. M.Couper is gone to J.D.Basset's for 3 months while they wait for a teacher they have engaged. We have again fixed the time for H.Curtis to come, but she is now nursing her Grandmamma who is quite helpless with paralysis, I am afraid it {?}
S. was confined a month to the house with Influenza but is now well.
Did Smith get L How's place? poor Anna { }
We had a new letter from our dear Harriet lately joining a friend a Parent of them all
Charles thinks he told you we had under our consideration the propriety of having them home it is quite his doing and thou mayst be sure I make no objection, we have not yet fully determined the matter, what does Mother think of it?
A.Alexander sends her dear love & says she mentioned her loss to S.Garlett in meeting to him, {he having me ?} should be glad of the sympathy of such a good woman.
There should be a piece secured like the girls frocks 1yd perhaps but of this thou canst judge best by what is left. Thou promised Mother should hem Aprons.
The dear boys are sitting by sending a Great deal of love. Walter wonders how poor Nanny is - I hope we shall hear soon from you. My [ ? ] with me dear love to F.& M. thy E. and thyself &c
thy ever affectionate sister A.C.M.
[in pencil] 1 lb butter.
Seal : Germanic A.M.
May & Strange Postmarks : IPSWICH MAR 9
To Ampthill MA 8 1837
P.S Bedfordshire