Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Rachel Hodgkins
Date
22 Nov 1896
See full details
See transcription
Object Detail
Date
22 Nov 1896
Transcript
Sunday
My dearest Mother
Just a few lines tho’ it is too late to write you a long letter. I enclose one from Ethel that came the other day. I have had one from Willie but there is nothing in it and is not worth sending on. I have seen the children’s photos and think it a very pretty picture, surely Sissie is pleased with it. I think little Lydia is very like Percy when he was a baby and very like Sis too, but Isabel is Wills own child and no mistake. I find I have plenty to do and not much time for idling. The Scotts are in communication with Scoular over the orchard. I tell them it is a mean trick to buy our wash house over our heads, but I intend to have the fruit but they say I will be had up for trespassing. They are in love with the property and certainly it is the prettiest section yet offered them. They will build on that vacant section at the back where the boys play cricket. Barnes has been set to work to move the back gate. I was sitting in the garden this afternoon when Mr & Mrs Waldegrave with the CC Grahams came up (Father had invited them without telling me) and presently the whole family of Whilsons! Turned up (also at Father’s invitation). I wonder at Mrs Whilson coming when she doesn’t know you. Of course I wasn’t prepared for such a crowd and had only a little cake in the house. I felt very cross with Father and inwardly felt like a gasogene the whole afternoon for it would have been so easy for him to have told me. He played the duke but I told him afterwards that it was very inconsiderate and selfish to treat me like that. Fortunately Maudie Butterworth and Miss Raymond turned up and helped with the tea. I felt too tired to go over to the Scotts tonight. Father has quite recovered his health and spirits again and I do hope he will be careful in future but directly he gets better again he gets careless.
I went to an afternoon tea at the Sises last Friday, and there is another at the Cuttens on Saturday. The Art Union is to be drawn tonight. The pictures do not go off very well Dinah McNeill told me she was going to buy my brown eyes, but so far has not done it. I could have sold the Maoris twice over. I have got the fischu pattern and will send it up as soon as I can get it made. I hope Sissie is keeping stronger and brighter. Tell me everything you do and mind and go out a great deal. Have you been to the Exhibition yet. I expect to hear soon that you have been round the bycicle track.
Don’t worry about the garden. I am keeping down the weeds and do some gardening every night. The last I heard of Nerli he was at Mt Eden (gaol). Is that true ?
With much love to yourself, Sis and Will you loving daughter Fanny.
Tell Sissie I am looking forward to a photograph of the babies.
My dearest Mother
Just a few lines tho’ it is too late to write you a long letter. I enclose one from Ethel that came the other day. I have had one from Willie but there is nothing in it and is not worth sending on. I have seen the children’s photos and think it a very pretty picture, surely Sissie is pleased with it. I think little Lydia is very like Percy when he was a baby and very like Sis too, but Isabel is Wills own child and no mistake. I find I have plenty to do and not much time for idling. The Scotts are in communication with Scoular over the orchard. I tell them it is a mean trick to buy our wash house over our heads, but I intend to have the fruit but they say I will be had up for trespassing. They are in love with the property and certainly it is the prettiest section yet offered them. They will build on that vacant section at the back where the boys play cricket. Barnes has been set to work to move the back gate. I was sitting in the garden this afternoon when Mr & Mrs Waldegrave with the CC Grahams came up (Father had invited them without telling me) and presently the whole family of Whilsons! Turned up (also at Father’s invitation). I wonder at Mrs Whilson coming when she doesn’t know you. Of course I wasn’t prepared for such a crowd and had only a little cake in the house. I felt very cross with Father and inwardly felt like a gasogene the whole afternoon for it would have been so easy for him to have told me. He played the duke but I told him afterwards that it was very inconsiderate and selfish to treat me like that. Fortunately Maudie Butterworth and Miss Raymond turned up and helped with the tea. I felt too tired to go over to the Scotts tonight. Father has quite recovered his health and spirits again and I do hope he will be careful in future but directly he gets better again he gets careless.
I went to an afternoon tea at the Sises last Friday, and there is another at the Cuttens on Saturday. The Art Union is to be drawn tonight. The pictures do not go off very well Dinah McNeill told me she was going to buy my brown eyes, but so far has not done it. I could have sold the Maoris twice over. I have got the fischu pattern and will send it up as soon as I can get it made. I hope Sissie is keeping stronger and brighter. Tell me everything you do and mind and go out a great deal. Have you been to the Exhibition yet. I expect to hear soon that you have been round the bycicle track.
Don’t worry about the garden. I am keeping down the weeds and do some gardening every night. The last I heard of Nerli he was at Mt Eden (gaol). Is that true ?
With much love to yourself, Sis and Will you loving daughter Fanny.
Tell Sissie I am looking forward to a photograph of the babies.
Pages
5 pages
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-05
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-05.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23234786
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23234786