Dabton
Wednesday Aug 9^th 1871

My dear Papa,

You asked in one of your letters lately how Jack liked latin &c.^<1> – He says he likes all his school lessons better than those he used to do at home – & the latin is “easy” so far – It may perhaps get more difficult bye & bye – I am afraid he does not care much for arithmetic – but perhaps that will come – He is looking very well indeed, and has grown broader as well as taller – he says he likes school & the other boys better even than he expected – that he will like going back to them when the time comes, though he wishes the holiday would last “seven months!” He was rather afraid of some of the bigger boys at first, but is now great friends with them all – only name one whom he really disliked – & he seems to have one really great friend, who has been there a year – & several other boys are described as being “aw-fully jolly”! You see his English has deteriorated, as I suppose it always does. – He is also in a very amiable & tractable frame of mind, & I think we are quite pleased with him in every way – except that he speaks faster & yet more indistinctly than he did before going – He has been twice out fishing with the gamekeeper, & caught nothing, but enjoyed it very much – John^<2> is gone to Dumfries to the Scott Centennary [sic] dinner – We hope to have the Christening next week, but I will write again as soon as all is settled – We have had lovely hot weather since Sunday – & I have had two drives – Will you thank Ela for her letter received today which I will soon answer – Give my best love to Aunt Caroline, & with love from all here, from your most affec^te daughter

Tilly

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Notes:

1. John Henry Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Jack’ (1861–1902). WHFT must have been pleased that his grandson took to study of the classics as readily as he had.

2. Her husband, John Henry Gilchrist-Clark (1830-1881), 'Jack', Scottish JP; WHFT's son-in-law.