(*1)
BCARS
A1E Or3 Or32
File XII
[envelope postmarked: August 16/97]
via New York
Recd 4 Sept 97
Mrs. O’Reilly
Point Ellice
Victoria British Columbia
18 Dawson Place
London
15th August 97
My darling Mother,
I received another sweet letter from you last evening & feel I have been a very bad correspondent but it seems it seem so unsatisfactory writing again and not being able to tell you when I start for home and I am longing to be there & with you all again. I think I have done your commissions. I got the button hooks with your boots ages ago & the flannel for Father’s jacket you dont know what a time it all takes & what stupid mistakes the shops make necessitating ones going again to them. The school for Fathers I have made several attempts to get & was not even successful in finding the publisher’s name till a shop in Oxford St. Truslove & Hanson wrote me it is only published in America but they wd get copy for me 6/ & I did not order it as I was afraid of missing it if I left England this was some little time ago & I am sorry now I did not tell them to obtain it for me. I hope you will like your fur cloak from Pi[?]. I have been over & over again about it he is very slow but seems to do well in the end. I do’nt know if I shall get you the mantle to take place of your black cape. I have made two or three unsuccessful attempts. I think I told you I tried to start with Mr. & Mrs. Masters and with the H. Barnards but could not get the latters address till too late the Bank is so careless they promised to send it & I have not had a line from them since & Mrs. Ward said she did not send it as I cd not have got a passage on board “Campagnia” but the Cunard office gave me choice of four. Now I am trying to arrange to go with Mrs. Hickling on 4th Sept by the same steamer this new American tariff is such a bore but Mrs. H. is writing to the company to ask if we could not have our things bonded through to Canada and if this can be done, I think I had better take my passage if I can get it. Every one seems to going & yet it is strange I cannot get an escort. Uncle Joe might help me I think he did not tell me Mr. Day was going & I met Mr. F. Vernon in Folkestone on Saturday with, he said if I had asked him, he was sure I could have gone with Mr. & Mrs. Horne Payne Sr but of course they have left and I have written to Lady Macdonald asking her if she has friends crossing to Canada because I could easily go on by C.P.R. but do’nt quite like the idea of starting off alone. I am afraid it is a fortnight since I last wrote & then I told you a good deal about the Admiral at Folkestone he was perfectly well after I spoke to him till I came to town with Jack Benn on Tuesday evening. Oh! if it would only last but I greatly fear not! They are all at Henley – moved on Thursday out I was to have joined them yesterday but as Lady Chesterfield asked me to lunch today (Sunday) I thought I would stay over. She is so very sweet & kind to me & I don’t suppose I shall see her again as she goes to Scotland in a week or so, for two months. Mr. Chas. Stanhope was expected back from South Africa yesterday. Mrs. Durlly has been paying a visit in the country and Miss Edwards was pressing me to come to stay with her the week before last but I was very happy with Carry & the heat was too intense for London – we can breath again now. You know I like heat; but I only went once to Cricket in Canterbury Week & felt so ill that evening & all the next day that I could not be persuaded to go again. I daresay you have read in the papers how hot it has been even Folkestone was stiffling & it is my only consolation in not starting for B.C. that the heat wd have been bad on the American side. I expect to be at Henley tomorrow and as Mrs. Hickling is at Maidenhead we are to meet & see what can be arranged about luggage etc. Captain Hathorne & his nephew Mr. Grieve left for B.C. on Thursday. I think he took Franks gun & I gave him 4 prs socks, winter, that Father asked for. I hope he will like them. Am very much surprised to hear you say “I hope you will get Frank’s boots” because I sent them (with polish & extra laces) by Mr. Robt Ward. I had lunch with his wife yesterday & asked him if he understood they were F. O’R’s boots & she said yes but she wd mention it to him. She gave me a heavy parcel of silk etc which she says I am to take out for Mrs. Charles, rather a bore, I think, & Mrs. Ward said “I should post it if I were you.” I have not seen Uncle John yet, and went twice to Baileys & missed Uncle Joe each time. he is at
[section missing]
card & only remarked “Of course I should have taken J. if I had gone but she did not care about it & I did not think you would”. & I was quite pleasant to him about it but they don’t seem quite pleased with me since!! Dont you think it strange? I did not mean to tell you in a letter because these things are silly. Miss Edwards has asked me to tell you she likes having me, she sends her love. I have been having a few more singing lessons. Mrs. Durlly has returned & on Tuesday they go to a small place near Boulogne for three weeks change. they have been awfully nice & kind to me. 16th August. I am now writing at Henley on Thames – it is quite charming here and weather is lovely. Yesterday I had such a very pleasant lunch at 26th Egerton Gdns. Lady C. & Mr. Charles were quite charming to me and today he is going to see Mr. Cunard at his office in the city & arrange for my cabin if I go with Mrs. Hickling. he is going to write to me about it this evening awfully nice of him. She is always sweet to me. Carry want to go boating so no more now. Much love. Admiral quite well. Just had invite from Uncle Joe to go & stay at his new place.
Your loving Pussy
(*1) – 2020 – This letter is also part of the O'Reilly/Stanhope Correspondence Collection.
Back to Letters 1896-97
This collection of letters has been digitized from an earlier transcription project and is for informational purposes only. This transcription has not been verified against the originals. Researchers interested in these letters should consult the original documents housed at the BC Archives.