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25 August 1909 — 3 Savile Row | |
Wednesday. 25th [August 1909]. I went to Lutterworth to stay with Kate. Her children Monty, Eda & Mary had left this very morning for their yearly holiday & Kate & I had a very happy quiet time together. She always went off after breakfast to church & to see people on parish business. We did many of the fashionable puzzles together. We paid visits to Mrs & Miss Darlington—& Mr & Mrs Topham, the squires of the place. We went to the workhouse, which is quite a model, so beautifully is it kept. One day we went to the little Hospital wh Eda has so successfully established. One day we were thrilled by hearing of the suicide of a poor woman in the town who had drowned herself in the tiny river. Another I went to see the interesting collection of books belonging to Mr & the Misses Bottrill who keep the little book shop. They showed me an old “hornbook” & many interesting editions of English authors. I did not regret that Kates dear children were away as we had such a easy quiet time together. We have so much in common to talk over—old days—our brothers & sisters—our great griefs. One day as we were coming thro’ the churchyard home, we were stopped by a young clergyman who had a bicycle. He said he had broken down—had only 3/ left & begged Kate to give him 5/ & so to help him to get back to Oxford by train. She was much disconcerted to find a clergyman turned beggar. She did not like to turn quite away from him & told him to come into the garden & she would give him some tea—this he brought him herself & I looked out the train in Bradshaw & found there was one going in a very short time. On hearing this he stuffed the sandwiches & 5/ into his pockets & bidding us a hasty farewell said he would write from Oxford & hurried away. He had told us his name was W. J. Scott but we never expected to hear more of him & doubted he had been deceiving us– Kate consoled herself with the thought that she had given him tea & money for the sake of Christ not for his. However, after 3 days she got a p. card from the man telling her he had reached Oxford safely & thanking her—but said he had not written sooner as he had had no money for a stamp. We wondered what was at the bottom of this mystery. He said he had been 11 years in the church & his father was also a clergyman now retired & he gave references to other people in the county whose names Kate knew. | |
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