BR TO FRANK RUSSELL, 14 SEPT. 1884
BRACERS 46880. ALS. McMaster. SLBR 1: #1
Edited by N. Griffin. Proofread by A. Duncan and K. Blackwell

<letterhead>
Oeborne,
Fernhurst,
Sussex.
Sept. 14th 1884

My Dear Frank

Granny told me I’d better write to you whilst I was herea at Oeborne. I came here on Monday and I’m going homeb again to-day. What do you think of Auntie’s engagement? I can’t bear it of course. Auntie says one ought to think of it as one more person to love, but then Auntie will go away.

Last Saturday Uncle Rollo, M. Rochat1 and I went to the Isle of Wight; it was very nice indeed there. We started by the 10.49 from Haslemere, and got to Ryde, and from there we went to Bembridge, which is very pretty. We went to the sea-shore, where the tide was coming in very fast. Then we went to see the Roman Villa which, was very interesting. There were big nails and beautiful mosaics and broken vases, and the skeletonsc of a Roman and a horse, found in an old well near there, and supposed to have been thrown in by the Britons when the Romans were leaving, at the same time that they burnt the villa. Uncle Rollo has had all his potatoes dug up; there are a frightful lot. He’s only going to keep two pigeons for the future which is a great pity.

Goodbye

Your loving brother
Bertie.

• 1

  M. Rochat Bertie’s Swiss tutor. Frank described him in his diary as “an ungainly Swiss youth”.

Textual Notes

• a

  here BR wrote the obsolete “heare”.

• b

  home Inserted.

• c

  skeletons Misspelled as “skelletons”.