27th December 1935 - Mary to Terrick

Dunally

Friday


Dearest Ticky,

I thought perhaps you'd be disappointed if you didn't have one letter while you were away, so I hope you get this in time.

Thank you ever & ever so much for all the presents - I love everything - and "the Heart of London" and the scarf.  Is the scarf really for me? - or did you just use it to wrap up the parcel safely? - I hope it is mine because it looks very nice with my new hat & coat & skirt.  I haven't started the books yet because I think I'd better finish "Evelina" - "Mother India" and "David Copperfield" before I start a fourth and fifth.  I'm a hopeless person to give a library subscription to.

Have you had a good Christmas?  - & has everything gone satisfactorily? You are lucky having snow - does everybody go tobogganing? - I'm fed up with eating and being polite to relations - 7 to dinner here on Christmas day - over to Dorking for lunch of 14 & on to Auntie Bob's party of 10 on Boxing day - 12 to lunch & tea here today.  But it was quite nice yesterday as Grannie sent us all to the pictures in Dorking to see Walls, Lynn, Hare & Arnaud in "Stormy Weather" which was most renewing.

I find I only have to mention engagements, weddings, babies, divorces, burials, underclothes or you, to get asked in a furtive aside whether I'm thinking of "making my trousseau yet" - and I mustn't forget to let them know "directly it happens" - all with secret smiles of encouragement that make me sick to see how easy they think it all is - because they neither have no need, or have forgotten, what a terrific lot of things have to be thought of before one can consider the entertainment of one's relations. - Oh, darling, I'm longing for you to come home and put everything proper again - when people go out of their way to show me how much more sensible you could be; and how foolish I am to put all my eggs in one basket so wholeheartedly - it puts my back up to myself - but it makes me want to find out if it's all true from you too - and when you're not here to put it right - it just depresses me, and I think it's no good being engaged for months & months & months, because there'll still be the everlasting question "When are you going to be married?" - and how do I know Terrick will ever be able to earn more money, because he's been trying with all his might for nearly a year now.

But I don't think like this often - only when you're away long enough for my family to show me what they call "sense".