The Walmsleys'
Ambleside, Aug. 13Honey dear :-
Charlotte is pained at my writing by candle-light! But it's the only way to do it. However, the letter is likely to be short, for I can't say that the illumination is really adequate.
We have made our largest migration and are once more in the Lake Country - and it still rains all the time. I doubt if we get up any mountain. There are clear intervals, but very brief, and the whole country is water-soaked. It's lovely in cloud-effects however!
I think I wrote you after the Cheddar Caves trip - very interesting. Rain did not matter in the cave! Thursday morning we had the lovely choir in the Wells service, quite worth waiting for, and also I ran into Louise Messick [sic], 1909, under a gateway. We collected our possessions - shoes & camera case fixed - and came on in the afternoon to Chester. There we stayed at a nice place on the walls next the river, right by the old bridge, and the woman, Mrs. Young, told me that Miss Rebecca Kite, a Shelburne acquaintance, had just gone. It would have been nice to see her. The cathedral seemed to me lovelier than I remembered it, and as alive as an institutional church in New York! It was so interesting - absolutely open everywhere, and all with such nice explanations. We enjoyed it much. The old monastic ruins are being restored beautifully, cloisters, hall &c. Of course we walked around the walls, and along the Rows and to the old houses. Also we saw the impressive ruins of the other old church, St. Johns, quite as large once as the Cathedral. The Norman pillars in the part still used are all but as fine as those at Durham. I hope our pictures will come out well, but the lack of light is trying. We've had no films developed for a long time, not since Paris, but hope to get them done here.
We went into Liverpool and find our steamer affairs all right - also a cheap place to stay! Also good ice-cream! We shall get some more Sept. 7 and 8! We are to go to the landing-stage at 2 p.m. so shall probably not get to Liverpool before noon the day before.
We came on yesterday in a slow, crowded train to Lakeside, but the boat waited and we reached Ambleside about 8:15. The rain had been heavy all day, but it cleared as we came up Windermere, and we had wonderful views half the way, sunset lights and such. The Walmsley place has our six Wisconsin friends in it, also Gertrude Carr, about '97 M.H.C, husband & son - and nobody else! Quite a house party. It's simple & cheap, and we may stay forever - for places are hard to get! Certainly we shall stay until we get washed up.
This forenoon 6 of us walked up to Kirkstone Pass & back - very lovely - some rain! This afternoon Mabel Hedge & her two companions, now at the Prince of Wales in Grasmere, took us for a lovely motor trip all around the country! Windermere, Ullswater, Thirlmere. We had tea at Wythburn Inn, where we had our proper, set-up tea after Helvellyn in 1906. Good tea. This evening we've shown our friends the pictures we have & seen theirs & their purchases! They have had an extraordinarily interesting time in their studies in industry and I'm so glad to see them again.
But this light really is atrocious & I must go to bed.
Love to you, honey - I hope we shall soon get some mail. None ame to Liverpool as we directed, and I don't understand it - but we're trying to send tracers. It's more than a week since we had an American scrap of any sort. Charlotte hears often usually, and I've gotten your letters and others very satisfactorily hitherto. We're trying to have our trail followed properly and shall connect sometime no doubt.
Oh - I didn't apply for M. Morriss' suite because I had asked Charlotte to stay next year - because a midyear moving would be very hard - because I hope to get away the year after and that seemed a better time to change. I may regret it but anyhow, that's the way of it.
Much love to you, honey -
Abby -