Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Isabel Field
Date
10 Aug 1895
See full details
See transcription
Object Detail
Date
10 Aug 1895
Transcript
2 Cranmore Lodge Aug 10th 95
My dearest Sissie
Just a few lines to accompany the enclosed letter from Mother. I feel sure Mother’s visit will do Aunt Bella good and rouse her from that terrible depression and for Mother’s own sake, I am glad she has gone, for she was fretting terribly before she left. I have not had any telegram either today or yesterday, so I feel pretty certain things are looking more hopeful.
Now for a bit of news that I know will surprise you – May Kenyon is engaged!! And to the most awful little tadpole I have ever set eyes on. I think I told you about the Cumine’s nephew Mr Garden, commonly called the Garden Goat a name I gave him when first he came. To begin with he is as ugly as they make them small and had a big nose, and is altogether a most unprepossessing little man. He is scrupulously neat and clean so he will tidy up May up a bit. It is the biggest bit of luck for him getting such a girl as May, for I am sure nobody else would have looked at him. The first night I met him I took a violent dislike to him and have said the hardest and nastiest things about him to May, and now you can imagine how I feel, but she bears me no ill will and swears I will like him tremendously before long. Mother smelt a rat sometime ago, and advised me to hold my tongue but I never in my wildest moments dreamed she could care for him, much less marry him. He has just come into an estate in Aberdeenshire which leaves him very well off, and I sincerely hope it has not influenced her, for it is a good match looking at it from that point of view. She already talks of him as the Laird of Troupe (that’s the estate). Oh! If you could only see him: I little thought May would get such a husband, she must know how unpopular he is he is positively loathed by the girls. From the first they have been thrown together, the Cumine’s simply set their hearts on bringing it about. One thing I must say, May has always stuck up for him, tho admitting his manners were exercrable, his morals were excellent. She said once she wished the order was reversed, but of course that was in fun. About a month ago he disappeared into the Country and the other night at the Boating Club Ball, I found him at my elbow asking me for a dance. I positively shuddered as I looked at him and dodged behind May. He had grown a stubby beard and looked like a Gorilla. It now turns out that she advised him to rusticate a while and grow a beard, for as she said the poor boy has an “expansive mouth and a defective chin”. He took May home from the dance and proposed to her at 3 o’clock in the morning in the Fergusson’s garden, isn’t that all in keeping with her character? And the next morning, he called for her nd kissed her before Mrs Fergusson. May says his kisses are “elementary, a sure sign he has never spooned before”. I would just give anything to have you here at present, there are so many funny things I can’t very well write down, as it is I feel I have said a great deal too much but I know you won’t give me away. May thinks they will be married in about 9 months in any case he wont go home till he takes her with him. They will be very well matched I think. He has very good brains but he is so aggressive and puts you down and sets you right in such an irritating fashion, his cleverness quite loses its charm. I cant imagine she is in love with him, and even if she isn’t she is much too good an actress ever to let anyone know it. Anyway, he is a very lucky fellow for she is a good girl and awfully sweet tempered and if she makes him half as good a wife as she does a daughter they ought to be very happy. She came in this morning, I was very busy making pastry, Saturday morning so you can imagine I wasn’t overjoyed to see her. She said – “Fan dear I want to be kissed,” well you know how I hate being kissed in the first place so I snapped out “Oh bother your kisses!” then she said, “Congratulate me, I am going to be Frank Garden’s little wife” you could have knocked me down with a feather and I tried hard to make my congratulations sound sincere tho I could hardly realise it till she showed me the ring, a very pretty hoop of diamonds.
I went down to the McLaren’s in the afternoon and found a crowd of girls in convulsions, they hailed me as fresh from the seat of war, but I was very discreet and didn’t give May away more than just a little. Of course they say she can’t possibly be in love with him and that she knows pretty well what she is about. It has created quite a sensation here and the fun and the stories that are told about them would fill three or four letters. Everybody says “What will Sissie say!” Do write to her, your congratulations are quite safe, for you don’t know him.
Well I think I have pretty well exhausted that subject. Aggie Roberts’ engagement to a cousin of Lady Glasgow’s sinks into insignificance beside it. They met going home on the Gothic. He has no money I believe but is very nice from all accounts.
I am quite alone in the house tonight. I have locked all the doors but still I feel a little nervous. I must write to Mother & tell her about May.
The Boating Club Ball was a great success. It was a pouring wet night so we had a cab. There was a good deal of grumbling amount the Committee men at the McGowan’s taking so little interest in the dance. Mr McG did absolutely nothing and they arrived late and there was nobody to receive. Mrs McLean was in mourning and couldn’t come. Willie & Mr Pasco & Mr Edmond worked like Trojans and it was greatly owing to their exertions that the ball was such a success. The supper was very good, I cut 5 plates of sandwiches and made some shapes, and helped generally. The lion of the evening was Mr F Villiers, who came in after his lecture. I had the honor of being introduced to him and we had a long talk, he remembered dining with us at Royal Terrace when he was here before and asked if we lived in the same house. He quite startled me by his strong resemblance to Will and Willie saw it too – perhaps that is why I admire him so much. I have always taken a great interest in him and have read his life and know a good deal about him, so you can imagine how glad I was to meet him. He was so natural & unaffected and had a most delightful voice. Tell Will to ferociously curl his moustache up at the corners and he will pass for a brother of Mr F Villiers – wonder if you will see the resemblance as strongly as I did, I have never been so fascinated by any one before.
One night before Mother went to Chch I went to an evening at Mrs McKenzies, I recited and we repeated the ticket office for the benefit of the men and the next night there was a similar entertainment at the Ritchies and we had the “Row in the Pit”. I must bring this long letter to a close. Willie & Mr Pasco came in and I had to wait till he departed before finishing it. It is very late and I am horribly sleepy, hoping to hear from you very soon dear old girl and also hoping you are keeping well & strong, ever your loving sister Fanny.
Give my best love to Will. I am sending Bab’s cloak up by Amy McKerras but I am not sure when she starts F.M.H.
My dearest Sissie
Just a few lines to accompany the enclosed letter from Mother. I feel sure Mother’s visit will do Aunt Bella good and rouse her from that terrible depression and for Mother’s own sake, I am glad she has gone, for she was fretting terribly before she left. I have not had any telegram either today or yesterday, so I feel pretty certain things are looking more hopeful.
Now for a bit of news that I know will surprise you – May Kenyon is engaged!! And to the most awful little tadpole I have ever set eyes on. I think I told you about the Cumine’s nephew Mr Garden, commonly called the Garden Goat a name I gave him when first he came. To begin with he is as ugly as they make them small and had a big nose, and is altogether a most unprepossessing little man. He is scrupulously neat and clean so he will tidy up May up a bit. It is the biggest bit of luck for him getting such a girl as May, for I am sure nobody else would have looked at him. The first night I met him I took a violent dislike to him and have said the hardest and nastiest things about him to May, and now you can imagine how I feel, but she bears me no ill will and swears I will like him tremendously before long. Mother smelt a rat sometime ago, and advised me to hold my tongue but I never in my wildest moments dreamed she could care for him, much less marry him. He has just come into an estate in Aberdeenshire which leaves him very well off, and I sincerely hope it has not influenced her, for it is a good match looking at it from that point of view. She already talks of him as the Laird of Troupe (that’s the estate). Oh! If you could only see him: I little thought May would get such a husband, she must know how unpopular he is he is positively loathed by the girls. From the first they have been thrown together, the Cumine’s simply set their hearts on bringing it about. One thing I must say, May has always stuck up for him, tho admitting his manners were exercrable, his morals were excellent. She said once she wished the order was reversed, but of course that was in fun. About a month ago he disappeared into the Country and the other night at the Boating Club Ball, I found him at my elbow asking me for a dance. I positively shuddered as I looked at him and dodged behind May. He had grown a stubby beard and looked like a Gorilla. It now turns out that she advised him to rusticate a while and grow a beard, for as she said the poor boy has an “expansive mouth and a defective chin”. He took May home from the dance and proposed to her at 3 o’clock in the morning in the Fergusson’s garden, isn’t that all in keeping with her character? And the next morning, he called for her nd kissed her before Mrs Fergusson. May says his kisses are “elementary, a sure sign he has never spooned before”. I would just give anything to have you here at present, there are so many funny things I can’t very well write down, as it is I feel I have said a great deal too much but I know you won’t give me away. May thinks they will be married in about 9 months in any case he wont go home till he takes her with him. They will be very well matched I think. He has very good brains but he is so aggressive and puts you down and sets you right in such an irritating fashion, his cleverness quite loses its charm. I cant imagine she is in love with him, and even if she isn’t she is much too good an actress ever to let anyone know it. Anyway, he is a very lucky fellow for she is a good girl and awfully sweet tempered and if she makes him half as good a wife as she does a daughter they ought to be very happy. She came in this morning, I was very busy making pastry, Saturday morning so you can imagine I wasn’t overjoyed to see her. She said – “Fan dear I want to be kissed,” well you know how I hate being kissed in the first place so I snapped out “Oh bother your kisses!” then she said, “Congratulate me, I am going to be Frank Garden’s little wife” you could have knocked me down with a feather and I tried hard to make my congratulations sound sincere tho I could hardly realise it till she showed me the ring, a very pretty hoop of diamonds.
I went down to the McLaren’s in the afternoon and found a crowd of girls in convulsions, they hailed me as fresh from the seat of war, but I was very discreet and didn’t give May away more than just a little. Of course they say she can’t possibly be in love with him and that she knows pretty well what she is about. It has created quite a sensation here and the fun and the stories that are told about them would fill three or four letters. Everybody says “What will Sissie say!” Do write to her, your congratulations are quite safe, for you don’t know him.
Well I think I have pretty well exhausted that subject. Aggie Roberts’ engagement to a cousin of Lady Glasgow’s sinks into insignificance beside it. They met going home on the Gothic. He has no money I believe but is very nice from all accounts.
I am quite alone in the house tonight. I have locked all the doors but still I feel a little nervous. I must write to Mother & tell her about May.
The Boating Club Ball was a great success. It was a pouring wet night so we had a cab. There was a good deal of grumbling amount the Committee men at the McGowan’s taking so little interest in the dance. Mr McG did absolutely nothing and they arrived late and there was nobody to receive. Mrs McLean was in mourning and couldn’t come. Willie & Mr Pasco & Mr Edmond worked like Trojans and it was greatly owing to their exertions that the ball was such a success. The supper was very good, I cut 5 plates of sandwiches and made some shapes, and helped generally. The lion of the evening was Mr F Villiers, who came in after his lecture. I had the honor of being introduced to him and we had a long talk, he remembered dining with us at Royal Terrace when he was here before and asked if we lived in the same house. He quite startled me by his strong resemblance to Will and Willie saw it too – perhaps that is why I admire him so much. I have always taken a great interest in him and have read his life and know a good deal about him, so you can imagine how glad I was to meet him. He was so natural & unaffected and had a most delightful voice. Tell Will to ferociously curl his moustache up at the corners and he will pass for a brother of Mr F Villiers – wonder if you will see the resemblance as strongly as I did, I have never been so fascinated by any one before.
One night before Mother went to Chch I went to an evening at Mrs McKenzies, I recited and we repeated the ticket office for the benefit of the men and the next night there was a similar entertainment at the Ritchies and we had the “Row in the Pit”. I must bring this long letter to a close. Willie & Mr Pasco came in and I had to wait till he departed before finishing it. It is very late and I am horribly sleepy, hoping to hear from you very soon dear old girl and also hoping you are keeping well & strong, ever your loving sister Fanny.
Give my best love to Will. I am sending Bab’s cloak up by Amy McKerras but I am not sure when she starts F.M.H.
Pages
12 pages
Sender's address
Cranmore Lodge
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-04
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-04.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22310185
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22310185