Six

Letter from Nurse O’Brien to Nurse Hopkins, July 14th:

Laborough Court

Dear Hopkins,—Have been meaning to write to you for some days now. This is alovely house and the pictures, I believe, quite famous. But I can’t say it’s ascomfortable as Hunterbury was, if you know what I mean. Being in the deadcountry it’s difficult to get maids, and the girls they have got are a raw lot, andsome of them not too obliging, and though I’m sure I’m never one to give trouble,meals sent up on a tray should at least be hot, and no facilities for boiling akettle, and the tea not always made with boiling water! Still, all that’s neitherhere nor there. The patient’s a nice quiet gentleman—double pneumonia¹, but thecrisis is past and doctor says going on well.

What I’ve got to tell you that will really interest you is the very queerestcoincidence you ever knew. In the drawing room, on the grand piano, there’s aphotograph in a big silver frame; and would you believe it, it’s the samephotograph that I told you about—the one signed Lewis that old Mrs. Welmanasked for. Well, of course, I was intrigued—and who wouldn’t be? And I askedthe butler who it was, which he answered at once saying it was Lady Rattery’sbrother—Sir Lewis Rycroft. He lived, it seems, not far from here and he waskilled in the War. Very sad, wasn’t it? I asked casual like was he married, and thebutler said yes, but that Lady Rycroft went into a lunatic asylum², poor thing, soonafter the marriage. She was still alive, he said. Now, isn’t that interesting? Andwe were quite wrong, you see, in all our ideas. They must have been very fond ofeach other, he and Mrs. W., and unable to marry because of the wife being in anasylum. Just like the pictures, isn’t it? And her remembering all those years andlooking at his photograph just before she died. He was killed in 1917, the butlersaid. Quite a romance, that’s what I feel.

Have you seen that new picture with Myrna Loy? I saw it was coming toMaidensford this week. No cinema anywhere near here! Oh, it’s awful to beburied in the country. No wonder they can’t get decent maids!

Well, goodbye for the present, dear, write and tell me all the news.

Yours sincerely,

Eileen O’Brien

Letter from Nurse Hopkins to Nurse O’Brien, July 14th:

Rose Cottage

Dear O’Brien,—Everything goes on here much as usual. Hunterbury is deserted—all the servants gone and a board up: For Sale. I saw Mrs. Bishop⁴ the otherday, she is staying with her sister who lives about a mile away. She was veryupset, as you can imagine, at the place being sold. It seems she made sure MissCarlisle would marry Mr. Welman and live there. Mrs. B. says that theengagement is off! Miss Carlisle went away to London soon after you left. Shewas very peculiar⁵ in her manner once or twice. I really didn’t know what to makeof her! Mary Gerrard has gone to London and is starting to train for a masseuse.

Very sensible of her, I think. Miss Carlisle’s going to settle two thousand poundson her, which I call very handsome and more than what many would do.

By the way, it’s funny how things come about. Do you remember telling mesomething about a photograph signed Lewis that Mrs. Welman showed you? Iwas having a chat the other day with Mrs. Slattery (she was housekeeper⁶ to oldDr. Ransome who had the practice before Dr. Lord), and of course she’s livedhere all her life and knows a lot about the gentry⁷ round about. I just brought thesubject up in a casual manner, speaking of Christian⁸ names and saying that thename of Lewis was uncommon⁹ and amongst others she mentioned Sir LewisRycroft over at Forbes Park. He served in the War in the 17th Lancers and waskilled towards the end of the War. So I said he was a great friend of Mrs.

Welman’s at Hunterbury, wasn’t he? And at once she gave me a look and said,Yes, very close friends they’d been, and some said more than friends, but that sheherself wasn’t one to talk—and why shouldn’t they be friends? So I said butsurely Mrs. Welman was a widow at the time, and she said Oh yes, she was awidow. So, dear, I saw at once she meant something by that, so I said it was oddthen, that they’d never married, and she said at once, “They couldn’t marry. He’dgot a wife in a lunatic asylum!” So now, you see, we know all about it! Curiousthe way things come about, isn’t it? Considering the easy way you get divorcesnowadays, it does seem a shame that insanity¹⁰ shouldn’t have been a ground for itthen.

Do you remember a good-looking young chap, Ted³ Bigland, who used to hangaround after Mary Gerrard a lot? He’s been at me for her address in London, butI haven’t given it to him. In my opinion, Mary’s a cut above Ted Bigland. I don’tknow if you realized it, dear, but Mr. R—W—was very taken with her. A pity,because it’s made trouble. Mark my words, that’s the reason for the engagementbetween him and Miss Carlisle being off. And, if you ask me, it’s hit her badly. Idon’t know what she saw in him, I’m sure—he wouldn’t have been my cup of tea,but I hear from a reliable source that she’s always been madly in love with him. Itdoes seem a mix-up, doesn’t it? And she’s got all that money, too. I believe hewas always led to expect his aunt would leave him something substantial.

Old Gerrard at the Lodge¹¹ is failing rapidly—has had several nasty dizzy spells.

He’s just as rude and cross-grained as ever. He actually said the other day thatMary wasn’t his daughter. “Well,” I said, “I’d be ashamed to say a thing like thatabout your wife if I were you.” He just looked at me and said, “You’re nothingbut a fool. You don’t understand.” Polite, wasn’t it? I took him up pretty sharply,I can tell you. His wife was lady’s maid to Mrs. Welman before her marriage, Ibelieve.

I saw The Good Earth last week. It was lovely! Women have to put up with a lotin China, it seems.

Yours ever,

Jessie Hopkins

Post-card from Nurse Hopkins to Nurse O’Brien:

Fancy our letters just crossing! Isn’t this weather awful?

Post-card from Nurse O’Brien to Nurse Hopkins:

Got your letter this morning. What a coincidence!

Letter from Roderick Welman to Elinor Carlisle, July 15th:

Dear Elinor,—Just got your letter. No, really, I have no feelings aboutHunterbury being sold. Nice of you to consult me. I think you’re doing the wisestthing if you don’t fancy living there, which you obviously don’t. You may havesome difficulty in getting rid of it, though. It’s a biggish place for present-dayneeds, though, of course, it’s been modernized¹² and is up to date, with goodservants’ quarters, and gas and electric light and all that. Anyway, I hope you’llhave luck!

The heat here is glorious. I spend hours in the sea. Rather a funny crowd ofpeople, but I don’t mix much. You told me once that I wasn’t a good mixer. I’mafraid it’s true. I find most of the human race extraordinarily¹³ repulsive¹⁴. Theyprobably reciprocate¹⁵ this feeling.

I have long felt that you are one of the only really satisfactory representativesof humanity. Am thinking of wandering on to the Dalmatian coast in a week ortwo. Address c/o Thomas Cook, Dubrovnik, from the 22nd onwards. If there’sanything I can do, let me know.

Yours, with admiration¹⁶ and gratitude¹⁷,

Roddy

Letter from Mr. Seddon of Messrs Seddon, Blatherwick & Seddon to Miss Elinor Carlisle, July20th:

104 Bloomsbury Square

Dear Miss Carlisle,—I certainly think you should accept Major Somervell’s offerof twelve thousand five hundred (?12,500) for Hunterbury. Large properties areextremely difficult to sell at the moment, and the price offered seems to be mostadvantageous. The offer depends, however, on immediate¹⁸ possession, and I knowMajor Somervell has been seeing other properties in the neighbourhood, so Iwould advise immediate acceptance.

Major Somervell is willing, I understand, to take the place furnished for threemonths, by which time the legal formalities should be accomplished¹⁹ and the salecan go through.

As regards the lodge keeper, Gerrard, and the question of pensioning him off, Ihear from Dr. Lord that the old man is seriously ill and not expected to live.

Probate has not yet been granted, but I have advanced one hundred pounds toMiss Mary Gerrard pending²⁰ the settlement.

Yours sincerely,

Edmund Seddon

Letter from Dr. Lord to Miss Elinor Carlisle, July 24th:

Dear Miss Carlisle,—Old Gerrard passed away today. Is there anything I cando for you in any way? I hear you have sold the house to our new MP, MajorSomervell.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Lord

Letter from Elinor Carlisle to Mary Gerrard, July 25th:

Dear Mary,—I am so sorry to hear of your father’s death.

I have had an offer for Hunterbury—from a Major Somervell. He is anxious toget in as soon as possible. I am going down there to go through my aunt’s papersand clear up generally. Would it be possible for you to get your father’s thingsmoved out of the Lodge as quickly as possible? I hope you are doing well and notfinding your massage²¹ training too strenuous²².

Yours very sincerely,

Elinor Carlisle

Letter from Mary Gerrard to Nurse Hopkins, July 25th:

Dear Nurse Hopkins,—Thank you so much for writing to me about Father. I’mglad he didn’t suffer. Miss Elinor writes me that the house is sold and that shewould like the Lodge cleared out as soon as possible. Could you put me up if Icame down tomorrow for the funeral? Don’t bother to answer if that’s all right.

Yours affectionately,

Mary Gerrard

 

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