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6 August 1898 — Bere Cottage, Bere Regis, Dorset | |
Saturday. 6th August [1898]. We breakfasted together we 3 & worked all the morning at packing & putting away things. I fed Arthur’s favorite pigeons on the lawn for the last time. He & I had taught them last summer to come there to be fed– I went up the village to pay a visit to old Mr Hibbs & took him a book which had belonged to Arthur as a remembrance of his. At 12 we left. It had been drizzling all the morning & we had to have a closed fly in wh Arthur Du Cane, Nellie & I packed ourselves & we went off with heavy hearts to Wareham station & took the 1.10 train to Wimborne. There a Canford carriage met us. The weather cleared up. Wimborne & his daughter Rosie were at home. Rhuvon was there. We lunched at once & at 2.30 we all walked to the old church. There we buried dear Arthur’s ashes. Mr Fawkes the Vicar met us at the church door & we all went into the chancel pew. Before the altar was a small table covered with a white cloth—on it stood the terra cotta urn containing the ashes. When Mr Fawkes had said a prayer—the undertaker took the urn & carried [it] out of the church– Mr F. followed then we 6 & also Mildred who was already in the church. A small vault had been prepared next to Henry’s grave. The committal prayers were said & the urn laid in the grave. Nellie came forward & laid on it a wreath of white flowers which we had brought from Bere as we wished him to be covered with his own flowers & then we turned & walked back to the house. So there is nothing more left to do for Arthur on this earth—that is the hard thing to bear– Nellie went off to the station on foot to take a 3.30 train to London & Arthur DC. went to see her off. Ivor & I walked up & down the magnolia walk by the stable walk & had a long talk about Arthur’s affairs. It appears Arthur had borrowed from Merthyr £11000 wh Rhuvon undertook should be repaid to him & signed a deed to that effect. He now says he cannot continue to pay the interest on it & had not understood he was bound to do so—neither has he money to pay it—& wants Merthyr to forget it wh he declines to do. I also talked to Ivor abt his affairs with Monty as to money. It was very depressing. At 4 I went off to Wimborne Station to join Arthur DC. & we took the 4.10 train to Bournemouth. Arthur went to Seabera to see Merthyr who is there today & from thence returned to town– I went to Branksome Dene to stay with Maria. I found Nela, Ruth & Daisy there. | |
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