This letter is part of a series of correspondence from Sir Wilfrid Bliss Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender. The letters date mainly from 1915 to 1918, when Sir Wilfrid was serving in France. The letters concern politics, the Irish question, personal life, and Wilfrid's experience of the Great War. In this letter Spender is writing to his wife, Lady Lillian Spender, née Dean, (1880-1968). Sir Wilfrid Spender (1876 - 1960) was a member of the British Army until 1913 when controversy surrounding his signature of the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant resulted in his resignation. Spender was called up for military service in 1914 and from 1915 served in the 36th (Ulster) Division. Throughout the war, Spender remained in contact with the Ulster Unionist leadership, and consistently opposed Home Rule and the six-county solution. Lady Lillian served in the Ulster Volunteer Nursing Corps during the war, and was an organiser of the Ulster Division Comforts Fund. In this letter, Spender tells Lillian that he has spent all day writing his weekly report for the British Cabinet. The report, Spender writes, has been annotated and edited by so many people that it is growing at a worrying rate. Spender compares himself to 'an old hen', expected to lay two eggs for lunch and two before dinner, and notes that 'it is not pride which causes a hen to cackle but rather pleasure at being rid of the thing'. Spender concludes the letter be inquiring after the health of 'Pater'.