Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Isabel Field
Date
18 Feb 1895
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Object Detail
Date
18 Feb 1895
Transcript
Cranmore Lodge Feb 18th 95
My dearest Sissie
Please excuse pencil, Mother has got the ink. We are all quite overcome with the generosity of your & Wills present, it is a beautiful carpet and it seems a great shame to deprive you of it. There must have been many handsome things sold at the Nathans. Mother says she feels as if she couldn’t thank you enough and I feel the same, but you can guess at our gratitude, a turkey carpet is such a princely gift and one cannot thank one adequately enough.
Chrissie Bartleman will have been to see you before this letter reaches you. She spent Sunday afternoon with us so she can give you all the family news.
Stewart is just the same as ever and reminds me very much of Rosie. Mrs B. is at her old game of exalting Chris and rather running Stewart down to all comers. Stewart is rather plump and Mrs B is accused of trying to starve her in to a genteel shape, she is quite capable of it. Did I tell you Dr Scott has a nephew staying with him, he has been on a Station in the N. Island for a few months, but he was not strong enough for the life so Dr Scott is trying to get him into a bank here. His father died leaving them very badly off so he came out to try and get something to do out in the Colonies. He is a very good looking young fellow about 24 tall and rather distinguished and enough polish to satisfy Dr Scott which goes a long way with him as you know. I went to supper with them on Sunday. Mrs Scott has her new teeth in and strange to say it has quite altered the expression of her face, it has made her mouth very small and her face slightly nut cracking. Her mouth, tho it was faulty, was very sweet and I couldn’t help noticing a difference in her face. Last Tuesday I went out to Henley with Father. He asked Miss Grose, Mrs Pinker’s sister as a pleasant companion for me. She is an appalling young woman ten times more vulgar than Mrs Finker and with none of her brains in fact her intellect is more than limited. Mr Adams and a Mr Bar both of them jolly old sports made great game out of her I am ashamed to say, but she brought it all on herself for she used to ask the most idiotic questions. We all enjoyed ourselves however, it was supposed to be a surveying party with Father as legal advisor but the most of the surveying was done from the boat. I suppose Mother told you the Finkers have taken the Bradshaw’s house? I have commenced at the Art School and am going in for the South Kensington exams so that I can teach properly later on, it will be pretty hard for me, for I hate that kind of work. Father has undertaken to coach me in geometry with Willie’s assistance. (Willie studied it while at the S. of Mines). I am just wondering how much I will learn between the two, both being about as clear as mud in their explanations. I have given up all idea of taking pupils this year, tho’ I have had several promised me beside Lulu Roberts. Were you very surprised to hear of Gertie Neills engagement to Mr Rattray. It sprung a great surprise on every body their names never having been coupled together. The Rattrays are very pleased over it. Miss Backhouse is to be married at the end of March they have taken a house quite close to Mrs Woodhouses. The W.C. Sounds trip is drawing nearer and nearer tho it will be nearly the end of March before we start. Mrs Malcolm Ross is going to travel in the reformed dress and I suppose Willie will travel in blinkers. Did Mother tell you about my children’s party. I had little Boy Moore down and all the neighbouring children. They had a grand time in the orchard and we all wished we could have had your babs to laugh to them all. I stopped in the middle of this letter to go and look at the big fire down town. Mother said if Sissie was here she would have been at it by now! We are all very anxious to hear about Percy. Now dearest Sis I will close this scrawl and with best love to Percy and Will ever your loving Sister Fanny
My dearest Sissie
Please excuse pencil, Mother has got the ink. We are all quite overcome with the generosity of your & Wills present, it is a beautiful carpet and it seems a great shame to deprive you of it. There must have been many handsome things sold at the Nathans. Mother says she feels as if she couldn’t thank you enough and I feel the same, but you can guess at our gratitude, a turkey carpet is such a princely gift and one cannot thank one adequately enough.
Chrissie Bartleman will have been to see you before this letter reaches you. She spent Sunday afternoon with us so she can give you all the family news.
Stewart is just the same as ever and reminds me very much of Rosie. Mrs B. is at her old game of exalting Chris and rather running Stewart down to all comers. Stewart is rather plump and Mrs B is accused of trying to starve her in to a genteel shape, she is quite capable of it. Did I tell you Dr Scott has a nephew staying with him, he has been on a Station in the N. Island for a few months, but he was not strong enough for the life so Dr Scott is trying to get him into a bank here. His father died leaving them very badly off so he came out to try and get something to do out in the Colonies. He is a very good looking young fellow about 24 tall and rather distinguished and enough polish to satisfy Dr Scott which goes a long way with him as you know. I went to supper with them on Sunday. Mrs Scott has her new teeth in and strange to say it has quite altered the expression of her face, it has made her mouth very small and her face slightly nut cracking. Her mouth, tho it was faulty, was very sweet and I couldn’t help noticing a difference in her face. Last Tuesday I went out to Henley with Father. He asked Miss Grose, Mrs Pinker’s sister as a pleasant companion for me. She is an appalling young woman ten times more vulgar than Mrs Finker and with none of her brains in fact her intellect is more than limited. Mr Adams and a Mr Bar both of them jolly old sports made great game out of her I am ashamed to say, but she brought it all on herself for she used to ask the most idiotic questions. We all enjoyed ourselves however, it was supposed to be a surveying party with Father as legal advisor but the most of the surveying was done from the boat. I suppose Mother told you the Finkers have taken the Bradshaw’s house? I have commenced at the Art School and am going in for the South Kensington exams so that I can teach properly later on, it will be pretty hard for me, for I hate that kind of work. Father has undertaken to coach me in geometry with Willie’s assistance. (Willie studied it while at the S. of Mines). I am just wondering how much I will learn between the two, both being about as clear as mud in their explanations. I have given up all idea of taking pupils this year, tho’ I have had several promised me beside Lulu Roberts. Were you very surprised to hear of Gertie Neills engagement to Mr Rattray. It sprung a great surprise on every body their names never having been coupled together. The Rattrays are very pleased over it. Miss Backhouse is to be married at the end of March they have taken a house quite close to Mrs Woodhouses. The W.C. Sounds trip is drawing nearer and nearer tho it will be nearly the end of March before we start. Mrs Malcolm Ross is going to travel in the reformed dress and I suppose Willie will travel in blinkers. Did Mother tell you about my children’s party. I had little Boy Moore down and all the neighbouring children. They had a grand time in the orchard and we all wished we could have had your babs to laugh to them all. I stopped in the middle of this letter to go and look at the big fire down town. Mother said if Sissie was here she would have been at it by now! We are all very anxious to hear about Percy. Now dearest Sis I will close this scrawl and with best love to Percy and Will ever your loving Sister Fanny
Pages
10 pages
Sender's address
Cranmore Lodge
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-03
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-03.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22795199
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22795199