I cannot tell you how pleased we are to hear that we are soon to see you. I have been thinking of you a good deal lately and had almost made up my mind to write to you and your letter has given me the opportunity, so I asked Mr Weale to let me answer you
First of all. I want you to come and stay with usp2I would ask your young friend also if I had two spare bed-rooms, but I could get him a room just round the corner and you could join him after breakfast so that he would only be alone at night, as you would be going about sight-seeing all day, and we should be very glad to see him any evenings you might be spending at home, and of course he could spend sunday with us.
If however he is so placed under your charge and that you cannot separate from him, perhaps you might manage to stay withp3us after he has gone. We want so much to have you with us so I do hope that you will arrange to come to us. Mr Weale says you must do so.
Now in case you can't leave him I would suggest that you had rooms near us, and you would have the advantage of being able to say Mass as early as you like our church of the Redemptorist[2] opens at half past five in the morning. If you don't like that plan then De Keyser's Hotel[3] — Blackfriars is the best. It is very central, andp4many of your compatriots go there. There is only one objection that some have to it and that is that they don't allow beer at dinner
I think that you will find me a good deal altered outwardly not at heart though Last year I had a short visit from Mr Verriest and Mr Bonte and Dr Schobel. I had not seen them for years
Now dear father, I want you to bring two photos of yourself, one for me and the other for Bernie. The poor boy has been roughing it in Australia, trying his hand at everything; he was even on the Stage for a couple of years or more, but I amp5glad to say that he has now given that up and is tutor and store keeper at some settlement or station as they call it out there. to some family of the name of Jones. He is now in Queensland. I hope that you pray for him for I fear that the poor boy wants prayers badly. and John also they are both negligent of their religious duties.
Cyril has gone to New-Zealand. he did not do well in Sydney. He is Editor of the Catholic Times in Wellington.[4] I am glad to say that he married a good catholic Irish girlp6and she keeps him up to the mark. I am in expectation of news of the birth of their second child
Frank is parish priest at Reading. Ethel is in her Convent in Jersey Next Saturday she will have been Professed four years. How the time flies by! Tom or Willie as we used to call him has set up as Bookseller with one of his friends named Foran.
Maggie left school last year. Sybil is at home now for her holidays, but will be going back to Tournai at the end of the monthp7Franchie studies at home Harry goes to a day school and Rose the darling of the house, was six last January. So we are pretty well scattered, are we not? How is Florence and where is she? Give my love to her when you see her.
Dr Butt is our Bishop that is Bishop of Southwark and he lives at St Georges Lambeth Road.
Let me know please when to expect you, and what you finally decide on now do try and come to us
P.S I hope to offer you my congratulations in person on your new dignity. I wonder whether you saw a description of yourself in the Weekly Register last year?[5]
P.S. Trams, omnibuses & trains run very frequently from Clapham, and in three quarters of an hour you are in London Let me hear soon
