Charlotte Mosley - The Mitfords - Letters between Six Sisters

I had lunch with the Wid the other day. She was alone because the Baileys had gone to lunch with the Dulvertons who hadn’t asked the Wid – none of the neighbours do! Mrs McCalmont told me she was very surprised when shopping one morning in Stow she saw an Egyptian figure approach dressed in a cape & turban & said ‘Tell me, what do you think of Dakar?’ 3 The Baileys have got printed notices all over their house to say ‘There is no gloom in this house’. And the Wid is living there!

I must go & milk my good goat.

Much love from Debo

Dear Cheerless

Well dear I am sorry I haven’t written but I thought my old hen would be bored with long accounts of aching around with everyone you don’t know & you know how you despise my life anyhow.

I spend most of my life in taxis going to & from Sandhurst because Andrew is there learning to be an officer which takes 5 months of appalling hard work & never a night off which you must say is a long time. Philip Toynbee 1 is there too & they all like him & are suitably amazed by his filthy habits.

We are going to Woman’s tomorrow which is a great move for me because wherever I go I have to take two dogs, my goat & my pony & cart.

It is wonderful of Esmond to have joined the airforce I do think.

If you ever come across the Kennedys (the ambassador here) do take note of Kick, 2 she is a dear girl, I’m sure you’d like her. (Though of course you’d despise her like you do me.)

Well dear, do write.

Best love from Henderson

Darling Bobo

I am using a letter this week to write to Nanny and you, she will send it on to you. I wish I could do it more often, but it is not possible.

How are you darling; I always get your messages from Muv, how I wish I could see you. Perhaps before very long I shall be let free, wouldn’t that be Paradise. If not quite free, what we want more than anything is for Kit and me to be imprisoned together. Please get anyone who sees MPs and so on to press for this. It has never even been suggested that any charge could be brought against either of us or that we have ever done anything illegal.

You can’t imagine what a joy Muv’s visits are to me, please do tell her so. I only wish I could write to her as well, but as I see her I thought she would understand. She brings me such lovely things and does such boring boredoms for me. I am quite clean and comfortable again as we now have hot water to wash in and gas to cook on again.

Isn’t it horrible about Jonathan having an appendix operation – I do hope they will let me out to go & see him. Do write to Desmond if you have time, because when Nanny cuts this part of the letter off all the ends of the words will be teased – however the point of this letter is to say how much I think of you and long to see you. Do write to Tom and thank him so much for going all the way to Brixton, I wish it had not been umsonst [in vain]. It was divine of him.

Do ask Muv to visit Kit the week after next, he would so love it. It was HEAVEN seeing him the other day at the Law Courts. 1

All love darling from Nard XXXXXXX

My darling Boud:

We have just been told that we may write one extra letter (for Christmas) so of course I shall use mine for you. You can imagine how much I shall be thinking of you all at Christmas; it will be simply hateful being in jail for it but never mind, next year perhaps everything will be wonderful again. Darling I do hope you are feeling really better; my Christian Scientist friend always asks so much about you, and she spends her entire life praying for people (you know how they do) and dozens of prayers are for you. Aren’t you pleased? Tell Muv, the butter she brought will last ages and it is literally the joy of my life, and do thank her for the eggs and the lovely delicious brioche. Kit writes to say that he hopes they may soon give us better prison conditions, and imprison us together. If we had each other it would make all the difference of course, and if Muv could ask Choiney 1 to press for that it would be an immense help.

I do so love the green scarf you made me and I often wear it on my head and look like a mad Turkish lady. I haven’t opened your Xmas pres yet, I am keeping it for the day, of course I won’t be able to write and thank, but I am thrilled about it. Please will you send a message to Nanny, not to hoard food 2 (for the babies). I don’t suppose she would but Kit suddenly had a nightmare that she might . Send her and Blor, and everyone and the babies all my love, and Debo, and specially Muv and you. I do hope the boys will spend some of the hols with you, please spoil them from me, and make them eat a lot and get fatter. I get so homesick at times, but perhaps it won’t be much longer now. Tell Muv to get Hansard of December 10th, all about us; 3 if she can’t I will send you mine. I am reading Die Jungfrau von Orleans (Schiller) it is so beautiful. If you want a heavenly novel get Goethe’s Wahlverwandtschaften . 4 I adored it, and so did Kit. Well goodbye darling, I wish I could write to you more often, but there it is. I think of you every day.

All Christmas love darling from Nardyxxxxxxxxx

P.S. Tell Muv if she gets what looks like a letter from me it will only be dull old rent bill to pay! Wish I cd write to her.

Darling Nard,

Oh, Nard, I WAS surprised to get your lovely letter – I never thought you COULD write!! Oh Nard, I do so HOPE you had a lovely and beautiful Christmas, I prayed about it a terrific lot. Nard, I am going to be confirmed. Of course, I shall be a Christian Scientist, but my wonderful Christian Science lady, Miss Taylor, says I must if it helps me, and it DOES help me, a terrific lot.

Oh Nard, thank you SO much for your lovely pound, I liked it best of all my presents.

Nard, I am in the Choir!! In the church, of course. Aren’t I lucky!!!! I’m afraid all this sounds nonsense to you, only you see how I am SO bored here.

Well, Nard, I am afraid I must stop, you don’t know how slowly I do write!! So goodbye, Nard.

Best love, Nard, from Bobo

Darling Diana

I had no idea I was allowed to write – as I now hasten to do – & thank you for your kind present. I have bought myself some much needed facial condiments with it & am most grateful – actually managed to find a Guerlain lipstick in an obscure chemist’s shop which must have given me the same sensation a bibliophile would have on coming across a 1st folio of Shakespeare.

I sent the Wid a box of soap called Modestes Violettes & she wrote back ‘Coming downstairs in a rather specially sad mood …’

No wonder she is rather specially sad, freezing at Maugersbury & Aunt W[eenie] won’t pick the war over with her – ‘I said I hear that Holland House has quite gone & she said come on let’s have luncheon, much more interesting.’ Can’t you see it.

I saw your little Alexander the other day he is a darling how I wish they were living with me – I had almost forgotten what heaven Nanny is.

Much love from Nance

Darling Nardy

Both Alexander & Max are extra well. Apparently Alexander was heard calling this last night when he was meant to be going to sleep ‘Trade, Trude, dogs, dogs, dogs!’ & as far as he could he was copying my voice. Isn’t it extra tüm [sweet]? I do wish you could have them, I always feel so awful when I can see as much as I like of them & you are unable to do so. I may seem not to understand how awful it is for you when I am actually talking to you but that is only because we have to get through so much in such a horribly short space of time. I must tell you that I spend hours at night sometimes worrying about it & I always feel so gloomy when the visit is over & there is still so much we have not been able to discuss. I only pray it may now only be for a short while longer.