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13 October 1901 — Branksome Dene, Poole, Dorset | |
Sunday. 13th [October 1901]. Dr Scott was to decide whether Maria was well eno’ today for me to be allowed to see her. He promised to come at 10 so I did not go to church & Nela stayed with me & we sat in the drawing room talking & waiting. He did not arrive till after 12 & then settled that I was to see her at tea time. I therefore dressed to go off to Sebera & I asked Dr Scott to take me in his carriage as it was too late to send for a fly & Merthyr had asked me to lunch at 1.30. The Dr kindly did this & I thus got to Sebera in time for lunch. I found Theo, Merthyr & their daughter at home– I had much to tell them all about my trip to America & of all their friends over there. Then after lunch I had a long talk with Merthyr as to Monty’s plan for leaving 3 Savile Row. Monty had given me notice that he wished to leave in the spring—in a letter he wrote to me to Dolobran. I wrote back to him assenting—& saying by that time I would be able to decide whether to let or sell the Savile Row house. Monty told Merthyr I by that meant I thought him a brute to leave me—& is now undecided. Merthyr says, as Nellie does, that Monty will never find so comfortable & cheap a lodging & is sure Monty will not really leave me– I stayed talking it over till 4.30 when Richard Du Cane joined me & then we returned to Branksome Dene in a cab. The nurse wished I should let Maria have her 5 oclock tea before I paid my visit—so I waited till Nela fetched me wh she did just as it was getting dark. I found Maria sitting propped in a chair—looking very pale & a little bewildered but not thin in the face. In fact a little swollen– She said at once how pleased she was to see me after so long a time, I said “not so very long”—she said “Oh yes it is.” She asked me if I came from Canford & then sent her love to Ivor & said she wished she could see him & I was to tell him so. If he would only pop in just like this, “he is so kind & does kind things in such a kind way.” I took her a sprig of myrtle I had picked her & she was pleased. I did not stay 10 minutes with her for fear of tiring her, & left Nela with her. She seemed very feeble & cannot really move herself having lost all power. Nela only told her I was to see her just before she called me up. I got through the interview well but afterwards naturally felt rather upset—for she is altered & I had not seen her since she had her fall which happened just a year ago. I got a little tea & then went off to the station & returned to London. Nela accompanied me to the station. I went by 7 P.M. train & got to London at 10.30– Home & to bed. Found Eda Alderson arrived yesterday from Eastbourne where she has been staying with her uncle Charles Alderson. As all her family at Lutterworth are ill of scarlet fever the consequence of milk from an infected farm, Eda cannot return home. E. Riaño is away till tomorrow. Eda had to share my bed with me there being no other free for her. | |
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