I thank you for your kind letter. I hope and I shall pray that Almighty God and His Immaculate Mother may still protect and preserve you, for all that are dear to you and that I may see you again, here or in England, as happy and indeed, as you are already, a highly privileged mother.[1]
Your news about Madame Xaveria,[2] (it sounds so odd!) is the first I heard since here[3] clothing. I have no doubt she is happy, because I know she is good, and I have great confidence in the order she belongs to. I hope I shall be able to “forward in some degree something you write particularly about," as your kind letter has it. I will try to muster up 50fr. if… you will kindly ask Mr Weale for the loan of his notes on a favourite saint of mine, S. Wilgefortis or S. Holpe, 20th of July.[4] I know he has plenty that would interest me very much, tell him, in a lin-p2guistic way,[5] and for my little journal Loquela, which I told Frank all about. I will send Mr Weale Loquela and you the £ 2.0.0, if you succeed in sending me the notes, so we shall be three in your kind & charitable undertaking and may be S. Wilgefortis, the bearded, crucified, virgin, martyr, would condescend to be n° 4 and get us all a blessing from above. What do you say?
Florence, now Sr Colomba, has left Heule and is now at a small convent of her order, teaching one of our Catholic free parochial schools, at Eessen near Dixmude, which Mr Weale must know something about. She is always very happy to hear about you and I will tell her your good news as soon as I see her.
I have the Tablet sent to me, thank you, by old Mr Woodlock, of your old house, ter Baille,[6] Bruges, which I will ever remember!
I found Frank a strong hale looking english Priest, of the right stamp, and p3was very happy to see him and to hear of you through him. I am doing something in honour of S. Bernard here and I pray to him that he may particularly bless him to whom I was happy enough to give his name some day.[7] Dr Verriest, Professor Louvain, and his german wife are doing very well; I saw his three children last week, two girls[8] and one small gustaf. Hugo, the Principal,[9] is ailing. There is hardly any news that would interest you here; we are completely without english people at Courtrai; there are a few Irish flax dealers, mostly protestants; there is one exemplary good Catholic, named Maurice Farrell, from Belfast, with his wife Sarah, which good Sarah is very much in your way. I prepared her eldest child (of six) Kittie[10] for her first communion a few weeks ago, a very good pious girl indeed. Perhaps I may succeed in sending her where Ethel ... pardon! Madame Xaveria is.
P.S. Mind my “ifs"!
