St. Luke's Hospital
Seward Road
Shanghai
Saturday, Jan. 13, '12Dear Nell -
How nice of you and Abby to send me a book with such a delightfully reminiscent title. Literature of any variety is very welcome out here, even tho' I have so few hours for reading, and these essays happen to be by an author whose style especially appeals to me. Many thanks, my dear.
Thank you also for the little letter and the cordial words about my engagement. I only asked people not to tell because I'm such a public character in Jamestown I hated to be the nine days' talk twice, as I knew I would be since my plans were still undecided. Of course so many people knew out here and so many people in American I really didn't expect it could be kept quiet. I plan now to come home in the summer and be married at once. I don't know when I shall reach America, as we don't yet know when we can return to Wuchang, nor whether we can reopen St. Hilda's, but I shall be home early in August at the latest. I suppose we shall live in some tiny flat somewhere near Columbia next winter and sail for China again the following summer. It all seems very strange!
I hope you have had all my circular letters, so you know my experiences. I must say from October 1910 around to October 1911 I had my share of experiences of one sort & another! Latterly we have been living a very quiet life here in our Fourth Floor Flat. I study Chinese with ardor or with grim determination according to my mood and varying stupidity. For the rest, we have our routine of prayers and meals and walks, with an occasional tea or dinner. My chief solace is Miss Scott, a very congenial, all-around Bryn Mawr girl. Without her I would indeed pine between homesickness for Wuchang and homesickness for America and homesickness for my Patsy.
I never have thanks you for the '96 menu, but I was glad to get it.
China is interesting always and of course absorbingly so now when history is being made daily and when our own eyes see New China being born. I only wish I knew China and the Chinese better and yet it's nice to have the vivid impression of a newcomer.
I am so sorry, my dear, that you are having such anxious times at home, but you know I know what it is to watch one's mother grow more & more feeble and you know how I truly sympathize.
I know how you hate to write letters, but I am always glad to hear from you. I hope I shall see you while I am home. It's been a long time, hasn't it?
Always lovingly
Fish.