1 Mater
Mab
Edmund
Rex Please return to Lil 3 Nov. My dear Folks I suppose you will expect a letter today as you
only got a scrap yesterday, & so did I! The enclosed from Miss Scott Kerr is rather nice
but rather gushingly sentimental, & I suppose I must
answer it, which however is bound to disappoint her as I cannot
keep it up in the same strain. I was away inspecting the bombing schools today, &
my motor got stogged in a ploughed field. 2 hours I spent
jacking it her up— I'm sure it was a female motor!— & putting
flints! under her wheels & getting her forward inch by inch
safely on to the road, with her tyres like ribbon reels after
a baby has played with them. Yesterday's field day in the pouring rain was a sorry
performance for the men but I enjoyed it fairly well — more
than Fanny who pricked up her heels whenever we looked
homewards, tho' she went gamely over heavy ploughed fields
in spite of the rain & wind. I would not let her
be clipped in case we might got ordered to Servia which in
my opinion is still quite likely for where else are the
men to come from. I am waiting anxiously for Squiffy's speech (Asquith's
Soubriquet out here). I suppose it will be another compromise,
& I hope Carson will tear it to rags. 2 One of our brigades leaves for the front today & we get an old brigade
of regulars in its place. I am looking forward to see how the regular
compares with our men. I don't think he ought to outshine
him except in the officer line. I expect I shall want my other gaiters soon, & would you
therefore send them to a shop (! Stores/ to be properly bound & strength —
ened especially at the bottom. I slept on my mattress last night & think it will
do very well when I get Douglas to realize that I must have a
proper pillow. I think I require one of our files for the office. Would
you order one for me larger size with clipping machine like yours. The bill
when paid should be passed to me please for payment out of the office fund. I hope to be able to answer some of Rex's queries later, &
wish I could settle down to a connected letter but every four or
five minutes I am being interrupted, to look at a letter or wire,
or to answer some question which is sprung on me about something
that came in weeks ago. The fact that one only has one's
office to sit in makes one get through one's work expeditiously
but it makes any other kind of thought nearly impossible. The old dame of the house I am billeted in seems
well satisfied with her 5 lodgers i e myself 2 servants & 2 horses.
The pony has moved so that Fanny & Clyde Valley are together again.
She was very angry the other day when she saw Douglas with a
sack of coal, thinking it was hers, but when he managed to
make her understand it was government issue she was satisfied
&I think has tried to make amends. 3 The people here vary enormously, & some are anxious
to help others only anxious to help themselves out of the pockets of
the rich Anglais. Monsieur votre servantswas a rather unexpected phrase
from the old dame who took to running to the door whenever
I was going out. I think she intended to teach me to
shut it gently as at first I used to bang it like the door
at 24 till I learnt the trick of it. November is a horrid month everywhere but luckily there
are only 4 of them as a rule. March I hope may bring some
compensations, & any warm day is an a forerunner of summer
not as now a reminder of last. All the same the autumn
tints are wonderful & the beech copses especially would
make some of the Ulster forests almost envious. The
country on the whole is uninteresting however when the
first novelty has worn off. Of the enemy at present I have am seeing very little,
but I expect I shall be paying another visit to the
trenches next week unless we get orders to move again,
which no one expects except me. I am a little disappointed at not having heard
from Col Craig. Perhaps he thinks Lily's visit absolves him.
I am longing to hear her decision about her work, & whether
but can't quite make out whether she is to see Lady 4 Carson tomorrow after the Committee meeting or at a later
date. I am quite ashamed of the dullness of this letter, but
it is like the day & so is a true picture. Except from Mater
& Rex no news of the family has come lately & I beg
to state that I do pass letters on tho' somewhat tardily
perhaps. Best love to all my dear folks Wilfrid B Spender 5 Nov 3 So disinclined for writing
that I send only a dear folk
letter. poor folks! I will really be more
careful of Wilf's letters in
future, but I read them
with such avidity that
I always think they
are meant for me. Leader is succeeding in
bamboozling the Gen' as
completely as he did the
last one! He will certainly
become a General. A Colonel is coming
with the new Brigade whom 6 I particularly disliked
as a boy. I should
probably be ready to like
him more now if he were
only a Captain! I have not disposed
of Henry yet. Its not very wise
of me to pass on Mirs
Scott Kerr's letter to a
vain little p r, but the
old b w was always a
foolish animal especially
in anything to do with
p r s.