Dec : 10th : /85 My Darling, / I was sorry not / to see you during your flying / visit to London, but not at all / surprised - knowing how many / things you would have to do. Your / mother was here this day week, / and reported you as being well / & I trust nothing has occurred / to make you otherwise since / then. That most erratic, fas- / cinating, certain - uncertain / Lorelei of a Laura asked / Margaret to meet you at her / house - but the scheme crumb- / led into nothing - as I rather / expected it would do. - we are / rejoicing in the face of the sun / again, after long days of dark- / ness - but pay a price / of bitter cold for it. / Edward has been hindered cru- / elly in his work by the black- / ness of the skies., and is now / doing double tides to make up / for it. He and Margaret are / intending, this afternoon to go to / Charterhouse, to the service held / there in memory of its founders. / The boy's school is removed into / the country, as you know, but the / old "Brothers" remain there / and in the summer, Edward took / Margaret to see the old ? / place, which she was deeply / interested in from having read / the Newcomes. Hence the pil- / grimage of today. - Tomorrow / I am going to Rottingdean, until / Tuesday, with my sister Louie / and her husband - it will / seem so funny to be alone then / with them. Haven't you often / thought how amusingly the / "pieces" are brought together / sometime on the board of life. / & how unexpectedly? Mr. & Mrs. / Morris have just been down / there for nearly a fortnight: it / would be startling if the walls / of the little house could give / out, to the ears of my dear / Conservative relations, the / socialist talk that they must / have heard lately. Just think / what "the writing on the wall" / would be, if such things ever / happened. - I have just been / reading a book of George Meredith's / which was written long ago & / whose name I have, so to speak, / always known: "Richard Feverel ". / It is very clever and rather / coarse, to my thinking, and out / of all proportion sad in / its ending. I put it down to al- / most indignant with the wri- / ter. I wonder if you know it. / Now I am looking forward with / assured pleasure to reading / ?umpson's new volume, & / am so thankful it is not ?- / er long play. The notices of it / in the newspapers yesterday / were very exciting, We intend / going to R'dean for Christmas, / but shall be back directly / after I expect. We go there in / order to be very quiet - leaving / plum puddings behind for / those who like them. I've been / much engaged lately trying to / help a poor lady also who has / come to great poverty, but has / her health and (apparently) the / wish to work, and (I hope) / the capability: anyway we felt / moved to throw her a rope to keep / her from sinking poor soul, and / have done so. She was in one wretch- / ed room, with her little girl of / four, charged an extortionate rent / & bullied by a dreadful landlady / who saw her poverty & took ad- / vantage of it - indeed she was / on the edge of despair. There / were two nice rooms to let near / here, unfurnished, & so I took / them & have managed to fur- / nish them for her, and now I / want to help her to take breath / & begin life again. She can / teach music (near you help her / considering how quickly others can't / do the same!) and ? / in fearful wise - but is / evidently a clever woman, & / we must try what can be /done We are guaranteeing / her rent, and somebody else / is giving her 10/ a week just / at present - but it may cease / with the year. She has a / daughter of 18, for whom I / am trying to find a "holiday / engagement" - she is at a / school (kept there for kindness) / until Christmas - but / after that a blank! It / is dreadful to think of the / anxiety in which so many / poor creatures draw their / breath. I expect you are / asked for money in a thou- / sand directions, but if you / are not quite too deep / in kindness, I do wish / you would help me to help / these people. I mean, by / hook or by crook, to keep / her out of the Slough of / Despond for three months - / after that I shall know / better what she can / do or cannot. It is fasci- / nating work to help those who / are helpable, and my / hope is that this lady may / turn out to be so, - / - Margaret keeps so much / better I am thankful to / say. We have begun going / to Garcia's again, and I / hope her voice will not / fail, for singing is a delici- / ous art. Phil has nearly / finished his picture, and / has one or two others began. / How the year is running down- / hill to the end! The Richmonds / have bidden us to a party there / on New year's Eve, to which I / suppose we shall go, if I am in town. / They begin with children at 5 / o'clock, & go on to the older / ones all through the evening - / the dances getting more and / more grown up as time advan- / ces. Mr. Richmond's studio / is a beautiful room to dance / in. - Now must I stop my / babbling, but not my love of you. / What are you doing now? I ad- / ress to Stanway, thinking / you may be there. Wherever / you are, my darling, I am / your most loving / Georgie