Letter from Emma Evans to her cousin, Arthur Phelps.
Transcribed from a scan of the original in June 2013 by Penelope Forrest,
born Phelps, great granddaughter of Arthur.
Abbots Hill
Farm Oct 18th [1855]
My dearest Arthur,
It is a long time since I last wrote to you – also a longer time
still since I last heard from you, but let us hope that your time is better
occupied than in writing to ancient cousins at home. Said ancient cousins are
not in the most jolly of all possible frames of mind this afternoon, which is
perhaps rather absurd of them – but Mr Hubbard
returned to Bosworth this morning after a very pleasant little visit of 2 days.
He is able to come so seldom & to stay but for so very short a time that one
ought not to get sufficiently used to him to miss him much when he goes – but
somehow one does.
First, while I think of it, I saw in a letter to Fanny something
about some present for me. Now, dearest Stumps, I would much rather you did not
send me any whatever. Either you do
like me & care for me & wish me well, or you don't. Now I hope & flatter myself
that alternative the 1st is the case – & then I
don't want anything at all to assure me of the fact – & if the other were the
case, I would of course rather not have anything from you. Besides I always hold
that wedding presents are an irrational institution. Chairs & warmingpans & tea
cups are all very well now & then, but to me it seems that the right principle
would be to give the presents to those that don't get the husbands – to console
them. When I shall leave off being E. E. I don't exactly know – probably early
in next year. I positively must get myself a receipt book as soon as I go back
to town. What I shall do with a house & household of my own, I can't imagine. It
is such a bore that one cannot marry without – not that I should exactly like to
live in furnished lodgings.
Why don't you write to me old boy? I have not heard from you for
more months than I can count. I don't know exactly whether I direct your letters
rightly. Are you working at languages? Willie D says that you must do that, &
that you ought to have done it before, & that you will never get on till you
have passed in two. I am so glad your Coll is gone.
Our poor Coll, Genl I
mean, is very heartbroken about At Kitty, on whom
he is in constant attendance. She is still in the hands of Dr
Madden, the homœopathist, who says that she may continue as she is for weeks –
or may die at any hour, which is a safe verdict. Sib is at Brown's Hill, Fanny F
& Willy1 are at Preston.
Your sister F came back to A. H. today having left Ventnor
yesterday. At first she was very well in the I. of W. but she somehow contrived
to catch cold & has been very unwell indeed for about a fortnight. I have not
seen her yet – Mamma though says that her cold has moved from her chest to her
head, though she is still hoarse, so I hope she may soon be all right again.
John D is in Paris, & is not to return to England before next
spring I believe. The last account he sent to B2 of
himself was better & more cheerful. B means to take a week's holiday at Ventnor
with Kate & Anne which will be pleasant for all. He is only waiting till he has
seen Coll Cotton as there is very little to do now
Parliament is not sitting & no one in town. He is still at a loose end as far as
getting anything besides this Indian work3, which
is hardly bread & cheese to him, goes. When he will be married, poor old fellow,
I don't know.
I saw Corney Broadbent the other day for the first time since he
left Bosworth & could have sat & laughed incessantly at him during the whole
time I had to entertain him. He has left Oxford, finding the Littlego too many
for him. B called on him there before he went in for it, & he told B then, that
if he got through he would never touch a book again as long as he lived if
he could help it, unless he was obliged. So you see he is
not much changed – & now he is going into the army, which is evidently the
proper place for him. He is so like a great many of Leeck's young officers of
the Heavies. It is a gratification to B & me to think we can look back &
remember what that sort of military hero is in his jacket stage. Corney is a
great swell now, with such boots, lacing on the instep, with the sides of the
same check as his trousers & his neck encircled by an elegant ribbon with red &
black about it. Poor old fellow, I wonder how he will get on.
Uncle John is looking very well for him. The works at A. H. have
made much progress since I saw them in the spring & will improve the look of the
house very much. I have been here since Saty. We
had such a pleasant time of it in the I of W. I was there a month, & enjoyed it
exceedingly. Mr H came on my birthday & stayed
longer than he ever has before, viz two whole days: that is, he came after
breakfast on my birthday, & went the morning but one after. I came down here to
help to unpack & arrange the fossils we collected there. I don't know if you are
anything of a geologist, but that part of the world is one of the latest
formations, not unlike your Sewalik hills out there, & the shells in some parts
are wonderfully beautiful & perfect. The things I took the most interest in were
remains of turtles (fresh water ones) & alligators. We have more than a doz of
the teeth of the latter besides bits of his head bones, & quantities of bits of
the bony backs & breastplates of the former. There was one particular bay,
Thorness Bay, about 3 miles from Cowes, so beautiful, where we used to find
things, & where no one seemed to go but ourselves.
Miss Hook & Mrs Drackley are pretty
well, much as usual. Nellie Cope better. She & Manie came to Cowes while we were
there, but did not stay so long as was intended in consequence of Nellie's
catching cold. Polly was to have joined them, as she was then staying with her
uncle at Tunbridge Wells, but I wish you could have seen her letter to Mrs
C to try to be allowed to go home again, as she could not get on any longer away
from Osbaston. From her letter one would have fancied the chief grievance away
from O was that "everyone was very kind".
How I used to detest going out, & do still rather. Take warning
by me & don't become egotistical. Perhaps I shall get the better of it in a year
or two – but I'm very bad now, I'm afraid. Jack & H & their boys are all well,
Loo with his bricks. "What are you building, Loo?" Lodgings! Is not he a worthy
grandson of Uncle John's? Well I hope he will be as good & kind, & I think he
will.
They have been rebuilding the chancel at Home. It is not quite
settled yet I believe which is to be the window for Papa's memorial. Mrs
Goring I believe means to have the E window done to the memory of Beaumont & I
am afraid Papa's will be in the chancel. I had much rather it had been the E
window of the S aisle – but Mr Small tells Mr
Cope he should keep that for a memorial window for his (Mr
C's) own family.
Goodbye, dearest Stumps. Don't forget all about me & do write to
your ever loving coz
Emma
1. Sib (Sebastian), Fanny (Fulljames) and William are three of the children of
General Thomas and Kitty Dickinson.
2. B = Emma's brother, Sebastian, known as Bassy.
3. John Dickinson (junior) had founded the India Reform Association to combat
the activities of the British East India Company. Bassy was its secretary. (Time
& Chance.)