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Telegraphic Address, 96 Cocoa London. Telephone No 3869
Cocoa Tree Club, 64, St James's Street, S.W.
March: 3: 1901
My dear old Nan
I suppose you will have returned from Peebles before this letter gets to Glasgow. I hope you had a good time in that beloved country. I had a long letter from John Edgar on Friday. He wrote from Malta & seems to have enjoyed the voyage so far very much. He w[a]s seasick the first night at dinner, but after that was very fit. I have been sincerely busy of late. I have lost Chrisie Smith's address. Please send it
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me as I have finished rewriting the book. Please send me the little wee book on witchcraft. Thank Mother for her Saturday's letter. The position of affairs with the Duchess is at present this. She doesn't want all my time but is content with half a day, & and she doesn't insist on my living in her house except in Scotland. But after my interview on Thursday I was very struck with her bitterness towards the rest of the family. Now it seems to me that it would be most dangerous for me to become a party to any "Indiscretions
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of the Duchess," to quote Anthony Hope. So I asked that I should have full control & the last word in all political & literary questions, & that in private affairs, if we disagreed, the question should be referred to Lord Rosebery & Lord Peel whose decision should be final. I don't know if she will agree, but she was to see Lord Peel yesterday, and I shall know at the beginning of this week.
The work is very attractive & of course the payment is good, so I hope it may be settled; but it is a ticklish job.
I went out to Clapham today, having a most phenomenal run for that
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yellow car, & listening thereafter to a sermon from an Italian pastor. They are all very well, & Maud expects you to come up [in] the spring, when Uncle & Aunt have settled about when they go away at Easter. I have since got through my calls, & tonight I am dining with Lady Helen Munro-Ferguson. Richard Brown was very nice. I dined with him on Friday & he dined with me last night & we went to see Twelfth Night [underlined], a wonderful play. Sic a whirl o' dissipation! I wish I were a Trappist, like [?Sir Fin].
With love to all
Yours affectionately
John
