Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Isabel Field
Date
05 May 1894
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Object Detail
Date
05 May 1894
Transcript
Cranmore Lodge May 5th 94
My dearest old Girl
You can imagine how delighted we all were to get Will’s telegram with the news that your trouble was safely over and that you and the baby are getting on so well. I hope dear old girl you will be soon well and strong again. I can hardly realise that you are a Mother but I expect I will understand the situation better when you and the baby come down at Christmas. I am longing for further news but I expect it will be some time before we can hope for any news from you. Will will have to act scribe till you are strong again and I hope he will give us a full description of his daughter. She has already proved a little mascotte. Mr Spence when he heard that Bert had been promoted to the dignity of an uncle gave him a rise in his salary, so you see she was not long in bringing some-one good luck. I have had heaps of congratulatory messages given me to send you but most of your friends said they were going to write to you. Thank Will for the paper with the notice in. I was very glad to get it. I am sending the photos with this letter.
I am getting quite used to the house keeping now and things are going on very smoothly. I find Agnes is anything but a strong girl and it does not do to leave too much to her. I always manage to get everything done by the afternoon so I can trot round and see my friends. Mrs McKenzie is getting up the "Seasons” again do you remember and you took the part of November. They came to me for your dress the other day, but I told them you never had a regular costume and that it consisted mostly of borrowed plumes. Miss Backhouse is to take your part.
Sunday: The McLean’s are giving a dance on Thursday. I think I am going. The Allan Holme’s are selling off and he is going to America and she and Lily are going to join forces with Mrs White and live together at the Bay, everybody pities her intensely. Father has got his eye on the Holme’s house. He is very anxious to get the refusal of it. They are selling everything. I am so awfully sorry for her. I got a note from Mrs White which I enclose. She little knows that I didn’t sell a single ticket but there is nothing like getting credit for what one doesn’t do. I am posting you a little parcel which I hope will reach you safely. I went up to see Alice McGowan the other day and found Mrs J. Wright and Fanny Sise sitting with her. The two latter are inseparables. I must send you a photo of Alice’s drawing room. Mrs Scott’s portrait by Nerli is finished and Father says it is lovely. I haven’t seen it myself yet. I went down to see her on Thursday she was very anxious to hear all about you, but of course I couldn’t tell her anything more than what was in the telegram. Her children have the whooping cough but mildly I think. Dora Ashcroft is going Home at the end of the month. She is to take charge of the children of Mrs Pease from Southland, she shares a cabin I believe with Miss Paterson and Poppy Joachim, in the Morayshire. Mr and Mrs Cunningham-Smith have gone down to Invercargill. They will be greatly missed here. Joe is a grass widower again and gives us a good deal of his society.
Mrs Kenyon has lost her father and they are all in mourning. May went in to black very grudgingly.
Now dear old Girlie I will say goodbye. I will write again in a day or two. In the meantime I hope to have good news of you. I am always thinking of you and wondering how you are. With heaps of love to you both ever your loving sister Fanny
My dearest old Girl
You can imagine how delighted we all were to get Will’s telegram with the news that your trouble was safely over and that you and the baby are getting on so well. I hope dear old girl you will be soon well and strong again. I can hardly realise that you are a Mother but I expect I will understand the situation better when you and the baby come down at Christmas. I am longing for further news but I expect it will be some time before we can hope for any news from you. Will will have to act scribe till you are strong again and I hope he will give us a full description of his daughter. She has already proved a little mascotte. Mr Spence when he heard that Bert had been promoted to the dignity of an uncle gave him a rise in his salary, so you see she was not long in bringing some-one good luck. I have had heaps of congratulatory messages given me to send you but most of your friends said they were going to write to you. Thank Will for the paper with the notice in. I was very glad to get it. I am sending the photos with this letter.
I am getting quite used to the house keeping now and things are going on very smoothly. I find Agnes is anything but a strong girl and it does not do to leave too much to her. I always manage to get everything done by the afternoon so I can trot round and see my friends. Mrs McKenzie is getting up the "Seasons” again do you remember and you took the part of November. They came to me for your dress the other day, but I told them you never had a regular costume and that it consisted mostly of borrowed plumes. Miss Backhouse is to take your part.
Sunday: The McLean’s are giving a dance on Thursday. I think I am going. The Allan Holme’s are selling off and he is going to America and she and Lily are going to join forces with Mrs White and live together at the Bay, everybody pities her intensely. Father has got his eye on the Holme’s house. He is very anxious to get the refusal of it. They are selling everything. I am so awfully sorry for her. I got a note from Mrs White which I enclose. She little knows that I didn’t sell a single ticket but there is nothing like getting credit for what one doesn’t do. I am posting you a little parcel which I hope will reach you safely. I went up to see Alice McGowan the other day and found Mrs J. Wright and Fanny Sise sitting with her. The two latter are inseparables. I must send you a photo of Alice’s drawing room. Mrs Scott’s portrait by Nerli is finished and Father says it is lovely. I haven’t seen it myself yet. I went down to see her on Thursday she was very anxious to hear all about you, but of course I couldn’t tell her anything more than what was in the telegram. Her children have the whooping cough but mildly I think. Dora Ashcroft is going Home at the end of the month. She is to take charge of the children of Mrs Pease from Southland, she shares a cabin I believe with Miss Paterson and Poppy Joachim, in the Morayshire. Mr and Mrs Cunningham-Smith have gone down to Invercargill. They will be greatly missed here. Joe is a grass widower again and gives us a good deal of his society.
Mrs Kenyon has lost her father and they are all in mourning. May went in to black very grudgingly.
Now dear old Girlie I will say goodbye. I will write again in a day or two. In the meantime I hope to have good news of you. I am always thinking of you and wondering how you are. With heaps of love to you both ever your loving sister Fanny
Pages
6 pages
Sender's address
Cranmore Lodge
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-02
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-02.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23212975
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23212975