Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Isabel Field
Date
19 Jun 1895
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Object Detail
Date
19 Jun 1895
Transcript
10 Cranmore Lodge June 19th 95
My dearest Sissie
I haven’t been out of the house for 3 days, it has rained without ceasing and we have had fires all over the house to keep out the damp. Mr Cargill sent us a parcel of books over and with their help we got thro a very dreary Sunday. Have you read the Green Carnation? Make Will get it for you if you haven’t. You would enjoy it, and the “Bonnie Briar Bush” is another splendid story. Since Mother’s letter to you we have had better accounts of Aunt Bella, and she is on the mend tho still very weak. I am in constant fear of the influenza this year it has taken such a violent form. I am sure one never entirely loses the germs of it and it is likely to come back at any time. I am thankful to say we are all very well just now. Bert is almost well again, all the better for vaccination.
You must have had a very miserable time of it poor old girl but I hope it is all over by this time. Mrs Scott told me she suffered horribly. I have already laid in a stock of wool for the next of kin and I’ll look out that Will will have no opportunity of holding up by bootees to ridicule this time. Mrs Cargill has taken herself & Kiddie out to the Cuttens for a rest and Mr Cargill comes over for occasional meals.
Did Mother tell you about Mr Pasco’s walking picnics? One up Mt Cargill and the other up Flagstaff. The first one consisted of the Rattrays Grahams and Lillie McLaren and myself. 6 men and 5 girls and no chaperone. He presented us with tin mugs with our initials engraved and gave us a most sumptuous lunch. The next one was a larger affair and was given for Mr Stott. It was on Whit Monday and I couldn’t very well get away at 10 so Lillie McLaren and I started at one o’clock and joined them at afternoon tea. Mr Pasco took the Grahams and myself down on board the “Ringarooma” on Friday. There was a dance given for the officers in the evening but I didn’t go.
Mrs D Roberts gave a big euchre party on Wednesday and Mrs Paston a musicale on Thursday both I believe in in honor of Miss Ziele. I was much surprised to receive a note from that young lady asking me to her wedding and apologising for not giving me a formal invitation on the score of not knowing me well enough! Of course I am not going. I believe they are giving a most pretentious wedding and asking a number of people they scarcely know.
I have entered for that £2 competition in Wellington, hope I won’t be plucked this time. Mr Luke gave me a commission to illustrate a story for the “Leader” but I don’t think it is much in my line tho I will have a shot at it.
I am sending you 2 of Bab’s photographs and I hope before long you will send us another of her. We are longing to see her again. I expect she must be pretty from all accounts. Will you send on Rosie’s letter to Aunt Bella when you have done with it.
Now dear old girl I will say goodbye. I will write whenever I can but you don’t [know] what a quiet life I lead and there is very little to write about my painting absorbs me more & more every day. I am slowly settling down to an oldmaidship, and I have only one prominent idea and that is that nothing will interfere between me and my work.
With the best of love to you both ever dear Sis your loving sister. Fanny
My dearest Sissie
I haven’t been out of the house for 3 days, it has rained without ceasing and we have had fires all over the house to keep out the damp. Mr Cargill sent us a parcel of books over and with their help we got thro a very dreary Sunday. Have you read the Green Carnation? Make Will get it for you if you haven’t. You would enjoy it, and the “Bonnie Briar Bush” is another splendid story. Since Mother’s letter to you we have had better accounts of Aunt Bella, and she is on the mend tho still very weak. I am in constant fear of the influenza this year it has taken such a violent form. I am sure one never entirely loses the germs of it and it is likely to come back at any time. I am thankful to say we are all very well just now. Bert is almost well again, all the better for vaccination.
You must have had a very miserable time of it poor old girl but I hope it is all over by this time. Mrs Scott told me she suffered horribly. I have already laid in a stock of wool for the next of kin and I’ll look out that Will will have no opportunity of holding up by bootees to ridicule this time. Mrs Cargill has taken herself & Kiddie out to the Cuttens for a rest and Mr Cargill comes over for occasional meals.
Did Mother tell you about Mr Pasco’s walking picnics? One up Mt Cargill and the other up Flagstaff. The first one consisted of the Rattrays Grahams and Lillie McLaren and myself. 6 men and 5 girls and no chaperone. He presented us with tin mugs with our initials engraved and gave us a most sumptuous lunch. The next one was a larger affair and was given for Mr Stott. It was on Whit Monday and I couldn’t very well get away at 10 so Lillie McLaren and I started at one o’clock and joined them at afternoon tea. Mr Pasco took the Grahams and myself down on board the “Ringarooma” on Friday. There was a dance given for the officers in the evening but I didn’t go.
Mrs D Roberts gave a big euchre party on Wednesday and Mrs Paston a musicale on Thursday both I believe in in honor of Miss Ziele. I was much surprised to receive a note from that young lady asking me to her wedding and apologising for not giving me a formal invitation on the score of not knowing me well enough! Of course I am not going. I believe they are giving a most pretentious wedding and asking a number of people they scarcely know.
I have entered for that £2 competition in Wellington, hope I won’t be plucked this time. Mr Luke gave me a commission to illustrate a story for the “Leader” but I don’t think it is much in my line tho I will have a shot at it.
I am sending you 2 of Bab’s photographs and I hope before long you will send us another of her. We are longing to see her again. I expect she must be pretty from all accounts. Will you send on Rosie’s letter to Aunt Bella when you have done with it.
Now dear old girl I will say goodbye. I will write whenever I can but you don’t [know] what a quiet life I lead and there is very little to write about my painting absorbs me more & more every day. I am slowly settling down to an oldmaidship, and I have only one prominent idea and that is that nothing will interfere between me and my work.
With the best of love to you both ever dear Sis your loving sister. Fanny
Pages
6 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