Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Rachel Hodgkins
Date
07 Aug 1901
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Object Detail
Date
07 Aug 1901
Transcript
Hotel de France, Caudebec-en-Caux Seine Inferiere 7.8.01
My darling Mother
The N.Z. mail has just come in bringing me a welcome letter from you also some Dunedin ones. You had better address all your letters in future to the Bank and also put 2 ½ on them dear, they charge so much for deficient postage. I have written to the Bank to re-stamp my letters before sending them on. I also enclose a letter from Mrs Shaw re the Hodgkins will. If Will should think it worth while making further investigations he had better write again to the agent, but it seems to me there is nothing in it. Mr Shaw knows of no relation of that name who was living so recently as 1894 and seems sceptical of the whole affair. These agents are people to beware of and will bleed you to any extend. Since this affair has cropped up I have heard of several cases where they have charged extortionate fees & with no result. If Will thinks it advisable to do anything more in the matter it would be better to get Mr Shaw to investigate for him – now that I know definitely the will is not at Somerset House and there is no chance of investigating for oneself, it would be as well to write to the agents for further information. I will do so and let you know the result, it will be more satisfactory. So Bert is thinking of settling in Wllgton, it is good & sweet of him to want to have a little house again. Of course deal I should rather live in Wllgtn and be near Sis & the children, from a business point of view it would be better too. It is impossible to say definitely when I shall return if all goes well with you darling and I can manage to sell some work between now & then I hope to stay at Home for another year at least. Does Bert see his way to taking a house at once, it will make a great difference to me going back to you & Bert. I have lost all wish to go back to Dunedin, it would be unbearable there without a home of one’s own. I don’t quite understand about the Fart. Why did they sell it, wasn’t it paying. I hope they have not lost money over it and that your investment is all right. It would be so nice for you to have a little home of your own again. Don’t you like the idea of it dear? I thought you wrote a tiny bit sadly – were you tired dear? I worry so over you all and wonder what you are doing. Frank is a sore trial to you, poor thoughtless boy, it is something at least to know he is safe from temptation down at Stewarts Island. I shall be here till the end of the month when we both go to Paris for a few weeks then down to St Sebastian in Bas Pyrenees – look it up on the map, dear. Miss Richmond has decided not to go to England so we shall not lose sight of each other even for a few weeks. I have grown so fond of her, I don’t know how I am ever going to let her go, she is one of those people whom you want always with you. This kind of existence is too too happy to last. What a gay time you must have had with the Duke & Duchess. There was a very funny description in the “Telegraph” of the Royal arrival at Auckland described as “an industrial thriving little townlet”. Kate Rattray wrote a killing description of the adventures of Mayor & Mayoress Denniston which seem to have been quaint. Our sketching party has increased this months and we now number nearly 40, there are some very nice girls, no one particularly clever, Miss Richmond is a long way ahead of them all. Molly Sale is here for a month. I am proud of my two countrywomen, they are both so nice looking. Last night I dined with Mr & Mrs Garstin at the Hotel Marine with some English friends of theirs. We all love Mr & Mrs Garstin. Miss Richmond & myself are quite hopelessly in love with the former and both agree we have meet our ideal artist & man at last. I have no news for you this mail, we lead a comparatively humdrum existence painting from morning till night with an occasional picnic thrown in for variety’s sake Thank dear old Bert for his letter – this letter I mean for you all. With heaps of love to your dear self & Sis. Ever your loving daughter Fanny
My darling Mother
The N.Z. mail has just come in bringing me a welcome letter from you also some Dunedin ones. You had better address all your letters in future to the Bank and also put 2 ½ on them dear, they charge so much for deficient postage. I have written to the Bank to re-stamp my letters before sending them on. I also enclose a letter from Mrs Shaw re the Hodgkins will. If Will should think it worth while making further investigations he had better write again to the agent, but it seems to me there is nothing in it. Mr Shaw knows of no relation of that name who was living so recently as 1894 and seems sceptical of the whole affair. These agents are people to beware of and will bleed you to any extend. Since this affair has cropped up I have heard of several cases where they have charged extortionate fees & with no result. If Will thinks it advisable to do anything more in the matter it would be better to get Mr Shaw to investigate for him – now that I know definitely the will is not at Somerset House and there is no chance of investigating for oneself, it would be as well to write to the agents for further information. I will do so and let you know the result, it will be more satisfactory. So Bert is thinking of settling in Wllgton, it is good & sweet of him to want to have a little house again. Of course deal I should rather live in Wllgtn and be near Sis & the children, from a business point of view it would be better too. It is impossible to say definitely when I shall return if all goes well with you darling and I can manage to sell some work between now & then I hope to stay at Home for another year at least. Does Bert see his way to taking a house at once, it will make a great difference to me going back to you & Bert. I have lost all wish to go back to Dunedin, it would be unbearable there without a home of one’s own. I don’t quite understand about the Fart. Why did they sell it, wasn’t it paying. I hope they have not lost money over it and that your investment is all right. It would be so nice for you to have a little home of your own again. Don’t you like the idea of it dear? I thought you wrote a tiny bit sadly – were you tired dear? I worry so over you all and wonder what you are doing. Frank is a sore trial to you, poor thoughtless boy, it is something at least to know he is safe from temptation down at Stewarts Island. I shall be here till the end of the month when we both go to Paris for a few weeks then down to St Sebastian in Bas Pyrenees – look it up on the map, dear. Miss Richmond has decided not to go to England so we shall not lose sight of each other even for a few weeks. I have grown so fond of her, I don’t know how I am ever going to let her go, she is one of those people whom you want always with you. This kind of existence is too too happy to last. What a gay time you must have had with the Duke & Duchess. There was a very funny description in the “Telegraph” of the Royal arrival at Auckland described as “an industrial thriving little townlet”. Kate Rattray wrote a killing description of the adventures of Mayor & Mayoress Denniston which seem to have been quaint. Our sketching party has increased this months and we now number nearly 40, there are some very nice girls, no one particularly clever, Miss Richmond is a long way ahead of them all. Molly Sale is here for a month. I am proud of my two countrywomen, they are both so nice looking. Last night I dined with Mr & Mrs Garstin at the Hotel Marine with some English friends of theirs. We all love Mr & Mrs Garstin. Miss Richmond & myself are quite hopelessly in love with the former and both agree we have meet our ideal artist & man at last. I have no news for you this mail, we lead a comparatively humdrum existence painting from morning till night with an occasional picnic thrown in for variety’s sake Thank dear old Bert for his letter – this letter I mean for you all. With heaps of love to your dear self & Sis. Ever your loving daughter Fanny
Pages
3 pages
Sender's address
Hotel de France, Caudebec-en-Caux; Seine Inferieure
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-10
Credit Line
Frances
Hodgkins
-
Letters.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-10.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22587964
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22587964