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3, TEMPLE GARDENS, TEMPLE.
July: 3: 1901
My dear old Mother
The new regime has begun here & I am not quite settled down yet. Somehow the few things Denman took out make a great deal of difference & the rooms look rather a desert, & will look so till the middle of this month when the other people's furniture comes in. My new man is an ex- artillery man, a profoundly meditative & serious peson, very respectable, a little slow, but I think pretty good on the whole. He makes porridge admirably, but he
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has a knack of boiling eggs to the consistency of a Mauser bullet. He is very good at folding clothes & all kinds of valet work. I still lack a tablecloth, which you might send me, if you have any old ones about – a coloured one.
Old Sir James was in great form on Monday & I think he enjoyed himself. I had Lord Denman to meet him. Last night I dined with Andrew Lang, a large party. I took down a rather nice Scottish girl, a Lady Cecily Baillie-Hamilton, who lives near
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Dunbar. Tonight I am dining with Lady Arthur Russell & going on to Lady Sligo's ball, the very last dance I have sworn I will ever go to. I have been very busy this week. I took over the 'Spectator' yesterday & wrote cheques for three hours. I am sure I paid away over £1000. It was odd signing cheques for large sums. I think I shall write on Chamberlain's speech this week.
I am also very busy in chambers. Rowlatt is making me 'devil' a case for him – a Parliamentary Bill – and I have to rush between the 'Spectator' office, the House of Commons & chambers.
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I had a very kind letter from Richard Brown on Monday, full of meanderings on his brother's death. I think I must go for a couple of days to Broadmeadows on my way home. The Attorney-General wants me to stay with him at Nairn at the beginning of October, but I don't know if I can.
I enclose the cheque. I hope you are all well. I enclose two tickets sent to the Spectator which you may care to use.
With love to all
Your affectionate son John
