(*1)
A1E Or3 Or32
File XII
[envelope to the following letter?]
Red’d 12th Augst./97
Honble P. O’Reilly
Point Ellice
Victoria
British Columbia
14 Augusta Gardens
Folkestone
24 July 97
My darling Father,
I came down on Wednesday it is so nice here now and all are so good to me but I feel I ought to go home & wish I could arrange about it comfortably. I wrote to Jack last week and told him I was going to tea with Lady Chesterfield. She is always sweet and said what a pity she was not in her own house (she is staying with her sister, Mrs Tage[?] in Lowndes[?] Square) as I might stay with her till I went home. I said I was anxious to be off and she immediately wrote to her friend Mrs. Masters, who was a Miss de Winton and was married about six weeks ago and asked if I might travel with them & she replied she would “gladly take care of me”. She remembered meeting me at Lacy C.’s house last winter. Mr. Masters went out last summer to Victoria to be best man to Mr. Dunn who married Miss Fisher. The Dunns leave on the 29th by Dom[?] Steamer “Vancouver” & said there were a great many passengers and I must see about a cabin at once so I wrote to Uncle Joe and asked if he thought it a good steamer as I knew you wanted particularly that I should travel comfortably & I asked his advice – in reply comes a note from fr. Josephine saying he was very tired after his journey to Wales and didnt know anything of the Masters (I didn’t ask him anything about them, as I know that they are nice, of course, I did not tell him Lady C. had written about me, as I never mention her to him) & couldnt give advice about travelling with them, but if I wanted to go, I must wire at once and he would engage the berth. dont you think it very unsatisfactory of him. I must say I felt indignant & have made no further move in the matter as he might have got me horrid cabin & I remember the Bridgmans had a terrible passage by the “Vancouver” wh[ich] I had an idea is not a good steamer. The Harry Barnards I hear leave by Cunard Str. on 7th Aug. and Mrs. Hickling (Enis[?] Brealy) by Cunard in 18th. I would like travelling with the latter she is nice and is alone & anxious to join her husband who is at Calgary but is not quite sure of going as her sister is in bad health. Sir Michael likes them and is very kind to them but of course the Hares are down on Mrs. Meadows Taylor because they think Ennismore is devoted to her which seems nonsense to me. I should like to go before the 18th and so perhaps will leave with the Barnards tho’ I don’t much care about the idea of him! I almost think B. Drake said he was going on 18th which wd be rather a bore but I am not sure. I think the Masters wd have been very nice to go with and wish I had asked Sir Michael about the steamer & a good cabin he is so very satisfactory and kind, but I thought Uncle Joe would not like me to arrange independently of him. One evening I met Mr. Newton at Strauss’ band he leaves 19th for B.C. & told me Frank had written about his gun wh. He brought to England two years ago & understood Mr. To[?] had taken back to Victoria but now it could not be found at the Stores. so I went there and saw Mr. Bourke and he was most nice & made fuss & I just recd letter to say gun is found and there are two guineas to pay for repairs. I feel so pleased that I have been able to find it for Frank & suppose I had better bring it out with me – they will take me for a sporting young lady. I do’nt hear anything from the Snowdons. I suppose they are in the country as she has not answered my note asking if they know when they leave for B.C. Have you heard Effie is engaged to be married? perhaps better not mention in Victoria unless they tell you. tho’ I wrote it to Mrs. Wm. Ward & she of course will tell Nelly. I had a suspicion there was something when I was last with them but they did not tell me. The Listowels have been here for a few days & Lady L. says Sir Richard told her Effie is engaged to a man called Stapleton. A soldier, I imagine, but do not know. Lord & Lady Heneage are down here now. I think she is charming much the nicest of the Hare family that I have met. She is Eleanor & twin sister to Lady Adela Tarkin who is quite different. Yesterday Carry had a tennis & croquet party and the Admiral was delightful all the morning it was a lovely day and we were busy arranging everything as we have so often done at Pt Ellice – tennis courts & croquet courts, tea and cakes to buy & chairs & tables to carry out in the garden but sad to say after lunch a change came over the Admiral & he came so many times to the dining room that by the time the people were saying Goodbye at 7:30 he was quite incapacitated & did not know one from the other & looked so bad. it is so sad he had to be put to bed at once and has not appeared yet today. I do’nt know what can be done poor Carry went to bed in tears last night & she dreads Vivian coming for his holidays. The Admiral is so nice & kind when he is well quite charming it is too sad & one feels powerless to help. He is awfully kind to me & said only yesterday morning he did’nt see why I must go back to B.C. that I could stay as long as I like & make my home with them there. The 23rd was Carrys birthday. Aunt Emily goes on Monday to Walton & is joined on Thursday by Violet & Ruby for the holidays which are to be spent at Braunton[?] near Barnstaple. She does not like going at all but Folkestone is too expensive in the season. It is very pleasant here now the weather is delightful and the band plays afternoon & evening on the Lees. the Davys are sad at leaving especially Lisa – they go end of the month & are packing up now furniture etc.
I was with Mrs Durlly for a week & had a singing lesson everyday it is quite wonderful how much I learnt in a short time. I now I wish Signor Caprilli was near us you & Mother would love to hear him sing. Uncle Joe & Josephine are at Datchet. they think of taking a house in Somerset now and I believe they think it is time for me to go home – impertinence on the part of Josephine, I think. She is getting beyond herself. I want to go home but it is not her business! Of course I never have a word with them about anything but they are always talking about me and of course people repeat to me. Mr. R. Ward & Mrs. Jackson the latter has gone with Mr. Jackson for a fortnight to Somerset as he was not well. She is always anxious about him. Now I think I must stop. I am ashamed of this horrid letter. Thank you so much dear Father for arranging about the money. I had a letter from Mr. Alexander saying that he had a cable to say there were £200 to be placed to my credit. it is awfully good of you dear Father. I am afraid you will think I have been very extravagant & I am worried rather about the knives from Elkington. I knew you wanted them very much & so sent 4 dozen but they seem to come to such a lot of money and then the Stores are very tiresome. What great excitement about the new gold fields at Klondike in B.C.! is it good?
Much dear love to all
Your loving child
Pussy
(*1) – 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.