November 13, 1908
Kelowna, B. C.
My dearest Kathleen,
You seem to be having lots of bother at home. I hope things will straighten out all right–and you seem to be the one who suffers most each time, which isn’t at all as it should be. I shall have to alter all that next year by removing you from the scene of action. Money seems to be the cause of it all. You will be better out here where nobody has much to worry about. I can’t help thinking that Maugersbury Dower House is much nearer the Cottage than Kitebrook, but I am afraid you wouldn’t like the former after being at Kitebrook so long.
Harry Leigh has been down here today and stayed to supper. As usually happens, our talk came round to the same old subject, i. e. you two girls, and we came to the conclusion that our visit to England would have been very dull without you.
Two days later. I didn’t get very far with my first attempt, did I? The trouble was this: it was a very cold evening and I thought I really couldn’t sleep outside any longer and, not having a room fixed up inside, I made up my bed on the floor in front of the fire, which I had heaped halfway up the chimney with logs; and I was so comfortable and contented that I thought I would write to you; but instead of attending to the matter in hand I let my thoughts wander off into the future and somehow then writing seemed out of the question; so I thought that I would reserve my letter writing efforts until I was in a less turbulent frame of mind.
Harry has just turned up again and is now putting his horse in the stable, so I don’t suppose I shall get very far this time.
Our elections came off on Thursday. They used my house as a polling station and I got a job as constable to keep order. Everybody was very peaceable, so I had nothing to do at all and no one would have supposed that there was a constable about.
Nothing much has been going on this week, but next week we have Mrs. Farley’s Waxworks and at the same time some good people are going to do “Old Cronies” (a duologue) and also “Kitty Clive”, which latter I seem to know. I believe we did it at home once. I say “we”, but I personally had no hand in the matter. The Saints forbid that I should ever have to do anything like that. I believe I have heard your views on the uselessness of most men where amateur theatricals are concerned, and the cause of it. I plead guilty to both. You expressed those views when we rode home from Burford once and that was the only time when I have ever regretted that I couldn’t act. I wish I had seen you act. I have heard such glowing accounts of your acting at one time or another that I should like to have seen for myself.
Harry and the man Powell are both in the kitchen, Powell doing a little plain sewing and Harry, surrounded by everything he can lay his hands on, busy making a cake. Quite a pretty domestic scene.
Did you ever find out “What Every Woman Knows”? I seem to have seen somewhere that it is the way to manage a husband. Most women seem to know that almost as soon as they have one to manage.
I shall be getting your letter soon expressing your opinion on the house. I hope you will like it. It would be rather terrible if you didn’t, wouldn’t it? That is why I was so anxious to get some really good ones. It is a good thing I didn’t wait any longer, as now the trees are all bare and it doesn’t look half so nice.
There was not a Miss Mallam out camping with us. Mallam had two sisters out here about two years ago and I believe one of them knew Mabel Witts. [See Kathleen–October 29, 1908.]
I have got a villainous cold and feel very stupid, so won’t write anymore.
With best love,
Ever yours,
Robin
This is a very different letter to the one I should have written the other night. I wanted you so badly, Kathleen.