Peter Llewelyn Davies to Mary Hodgson - 1945

dani1923

My dear Mary,<br /> Nico gave me your address.<br /> I am truly sorry I never write to you, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t often think of you, and I should like to hear some time how you are fairing. The older I get, the more I realize how much you did for us all, unruly crew as we were. How I wish one could think more of the happy beginnings and less of the melancholy ends.<br /> Possibly the enclosed very bad photographs may entertain you. Our three are now 12, 7 and 5 and in their general abominable manners and customs they remind me horribly of their father and uncles at the same stage. The chief difference is that they none of them seem to be any good at either games or for that matter work, with the doubtful exception of Peter who occasionally shows glimmerings of intelligence. Still, they’re great fun.<br /> We still have Mildred, whom I think you just met, and thankful we are. No other servant of course. We came to live here rather less than a year ago. In a way you might call it a sort of smaller, humbler and very inferior repetition of Egerton House. We all like it better than London. Rivvy is at a boarding school, the other two at a very poor sort of kindergarten place round the corner. <br /> And now the horrible question has to be faced of whether we can manage to send Rivvy to Eton next year, with the help of the War Memorial Fund. If we can’t, we shall send him and in due course the other two to Tonbridge School here as day boys. <br /> Just at the end of the war I was sent over to Belgium for a few weeks, and took the opportunity to revisit George’s grave, partly in order to find out whether any damage had been done during the war. None had, I am glad to say. All very beautifully cared for. In fact, though the surroundings are ugly enough, the cemetery itself is a beautiful place. <br /> Well good-bye for the time being, dear Mary, and let me have news of yourself one of these days.<br /> Peter