Reference
X919/13
Title
John H Brooks to his daughter Katie [Catherine M F] Brooks.
Date free text
17th May 1870
Production date
From: 1870 To: 1870
Scope and Content
Tuesday 17th May 1870
My Own Darling Kate,
If anyone deserves a big letter it is my own long legged daughter! Not that the dear [illegible] and niece are not worthy of a share but it is Kate’s turn today. I have just finished reading my welcome French [illegible] to Granny and am very thankful to hear such good accounts of you all. No doubt the weather is now all you could wish and your last day or two by the seaside will be very enjoyable. I do not expect to hear again from any of you until my day and I shall probably not write again to Dieppe – if I do not hear your Paris address before you leave my next will be addressed Poste Restante Paris.
Granny and I are getting over very cosily together and my dullness has in great measure evaporated – having plenty to occupy me. It is at the meals more than other times we miss you. I adhere to the same hours for my prog[?] and of course have breakfast and tea alone. On Sundays I dispense with tea at 5 and am then quite ready for supper at 7.30. The cook is very attentive and after the first day has sent in eggs and meat enviably well done – knowing my peculiarity. Mrs Fuller’s playing on Sunday afternoon was very nice – her husband had evidently told her of her faults in the morning. They are coming to lunch here to meet the Chapman’s on my birthday and we shall get up a game of croquet I daresay.
Mrs F asked me yesterday for the loan of a carriage to drive her to Toddington Park on Thursday so Thoby [?] will have the felicity of taking her there. Granny and I propose taking our first drive with Thoby this afternoon. After I have written my letter I am going to visit your little friend at East End and shall not forget to take the little book and give her a present of money besides. There are no strawberries today as we took them all to Houghton on Saturday and they are being preserved for Friday .
I want to know when you next write how you like the cooking in France and are you getting accustomed to the wine? In Paris you will have a greater variety of food I daresay. What fruit have you had at Dieppe?
Tell Darling Min I went round her pests (as she told me) on Sunday afternoon though the grass was very wet and found most of them in safety and going on well. The little robins [nest] by the dung heap in the yard is full of eggs and Nutt told me yesterday his girls had found a Bully’s nest with 3 or 4 eggs in the Chestnut Avenue which I desired might be respected for Min’s sake! Fig is very well and begs by my side a at all my meals.
I forgot to tell you that I was going to dine with the Fullers this evening at 7.30 they having taken compassion on my loneliness. I am very sorry darling to hear you are not quite the thing and have been fainting, please do not exert yourself too much. And now that you have a holiday so richly earned please make it a real holiday and do not worry about practising or any tasks whatever and take as much wine as you feel you want. I hope the cousins will continue nice and tractable and that mademoiselle will with her good influence, benefit them in many ways.
This is darling Mariannes birthday – please give her my kindest love and kisses, no doubt you have also given her a little keepsake in which I have been included. Does Uncle George write every day to the cousins? I fear my letters of Saturday and Sunday may have reached you on the same day.
I will keep this open to tell you how the sick girl was.
2 o’clock; I have been darling to see your friends at East End and found the poor girl weaker. I talked with her for half an hour and left her something to read and half a crown. The old woman too was bad. I read a chapter to her and she was very conversible they all asked much after you both.
Poor old Swales too is in great pain.
Goodbye daring, fond love to you and darling Min from a most affectionate Papa.
We have drunk Mariannes health today… Pecky is as bumptious as usual and Dicksy as woolly!
Level of description
item