C/o A. Horschfeld. Esq
Ivy Bank
Nuthurst
Horsham
Sussex
4 March 1888
My dear Chris,
It seems years since I heard from you, old fellow, so don’t put the blame on me. I am so glad to hear you are getting on so well, take care of yourself.
When do you think it likely you will be able to come home and see us all again? Do come soon, dear, and I wish old Alex could get away as well. I should think from all accounts that you lead a very jolly life, of course plenty of work.
I expect Papa has told you about me. I left the Lawrances last summer. Miss Ward, the old lady I was ????
???? Ill at the last that I thought my health would not stand being in the house so much, so I went. Mrs Lawrance thought it better to get a nurse for her. I expect she found that too much better because she wrote to me a little while ago to say Miss Ward, her aunt, had left them and gone to live in the country at some home for old people.
I went home for a little while after I left them and looked out for another place which I found after a month and a half. I advertised in the Church Lines and got one answer, and that was from Mrs Horschfeld, the lady I am with now. The salary is £18, very good, but, of course I have to be very careful as that is for clothes, railway and everything. A good thing I do not go home very often, as it comes to something ????
???? Is a long way off from London. The Horschfelds are such nice people and so very kind and good to me, I go to nearly everything with them. I am treated just as one of the family. In the family, there are, Mr & Mrs H. and six children, the eldest, a girl of 18, then another girl of 16, then four younger ones under my charge, ages 11, 9, 8, 6, two boys and two girls. They are very nice children and all seem very fond of me. I teach the two younger ones, and look after the needlework of all four. I like that, I dare say, you can remember how fond I always was of work. I make dresses and boys shirts, etc. and when I can get the time to, make my own dresses, it saves a lot, dressmakers nearly always charge about 10 shillings for the making. I take the children ????
???? I am very fond of. We go for very long walks across the fields. It is lovely here. Nuthurst is quite a village, five miles from Horsham, the nearest shops and two and one half miles from the nearest station, West Grinstead. We drive a great deal.
I only came in September, but the people around about say the country is lovely in the summer. I am looking forward to it. There is a very nice wood just beside this house, which we mean to take our tea into when warm enough.
This house stands all by itself, a very large garden right round it, a small cottage, stables a little way off, etc. and then there is a large field and meadow. Mr Horschfeld keeps two horses and a pony, pony carriage, and dog cart, of course, a cow, chickens, and dogs, two of the latter. We always have cream ????
They are all very musical and Mrs H. sings beautifully, and plays the piano, Mr H. sings, and plays the violoncello. May, the eldest girl, plays the violin, and then Isabel, the second girl plays the piano beautifully. She is in Germany just now, finishing, chiefly music. We have quite little concerts in the evenings sometimes.
Mr Horschfeld generally goes up to London from Wednesday until Saturday for business, he is the conductor of the Choral Society Concerts Mrs Horshfeld as well, there are three or four of them in the year. I always go to them, they have been very good indeed.
We also have ???? all concerts once a month in Nuthurst in the village school room, the village children always take port in them. Although quite in the country, we never seem dull, numbers of people call and now the summer is coming on, we shall get plenty of letters. We have had a very hard winter this year, plenty of snow.
I began this letter on 4 March and now it is 9 May. The reason it has never gone was because I wanted to send a letter to old Alex at the same time. Never mind, better late than never, old fellow. I wish you would write, dear, of course you must be very busy but do try and find a little time to write to me, Chris. Mamma sent me your photo the other day. Thanks so much for it. I think it is very good. I will send you one of mine next time I have it taken.
Mamma always sends yours and Alex’s letters for me to read, so I hear something of you both. I hope it is true that you are going to try and come home this year. We shall all be so glad to see you again. Fancy, it is going on for six years since you went away. When do you think you will be able to come, as soon as ever you can, old boy. I am so glad you are getting on so well, only keep your health, that’s the chief thing.
This must finish, so good night, hoping to hear from you soon, and see you soon, dear.
With much love from your loving Sister
Edith Elmslie