Arthur Llewelyn Davies to Margaret Llewelyn Davies

Description

Letter from Arthur to his sister Margaret, 6 September 1906.

[No original available]

Transcription

Cudlow House, Rustington.
Sept. 6 1906.

Dearest Margaret,
We are just at the end of our stay here, having failed to get an extra week for which we asked. We have succumbed to an invitation to go to Scotland with Jimmy for the close of the holidays. First the scheme was to take George and Jack only, then we were unwilling to abandon Peter, and lastly, Michael has, inevitably, been included. Nicholas so far remains out of the cast. We have to stay at a small village called Fortingall, in Glen Lyon, 2½ miles from Loch Tay among high mountains (especially Ben Lawers and Schiehallion), and surrounded by burns in which the boys will fish. They are all prodigiously excited at the prospect, and if the weather is fine we shall do very well. We leave King’s X at 7.55 p.m. tomorrow (Friday) evening, reach Crianlarich for a rather early breakfast, get to Killin (Loch Tay) by 10, and reach our destination by lunchtime. If it is fine, George and I think of doing an easy ride on bicycles to end up. Our address will be Fortingall Hotel – Glen Lyon – Perthshire – N.B.
We have had no further outbreak of mumps, and are now nearly safe. Our good fortune in weather has lasted well, but today is gloomy and threatening. We have had plenty of warm pleasant bathing, and are all very well. The holiday has altogether been entirely successful.
I don’t remember the exact day of your bazaar, but this must be near the time. I hope it will pass off prosperously, and bring you in as much money as can be expected and even more. We shall be at home by Sept. 17, glad to see Harry or any other member of the family who can look in.
I shall return to the Temple in October, ready for the new term. Farmer (the dentist) is planning various ingenuities for my comfort and convenience.
Yours affectly,
ALD

PS I do not contemplate any extensive hill-climbing.

Peter's comments:

The week at Fortingall, crowning a summer holiday throughout which, apparently, JMB had been with us, constituted a kind of bridge between the old regime, so to speak, and the new. A purely fishing venture, it was a momentous enough affair to the boys; not viewed, I believe, with any tremendous enthusiasm by Arthur who, apart from anything else, had absolutely no interest in field sports. I think that when he spoke of “succumbing” to Jimmy’s invitation, it was no mere figure of speech. The highland scenery, however, was a considerable compensation to him.

And so goodbye to Rustington, so long known and loved by Arthur and Sylvia, so well remembered by Jack and me.