| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, Metz, to her parents, regarding their letters, the room is being cleaned by a woman from Luxembourg whose French is incomprehensible, hoping Miss Grant's health will improve, she ought not to have gone to Africa, change in money values after the war, odd that Dr. Elmslie should think of retirement so soon after furlough, difficulties at Lovedale between 'natives and Europeans', engagement of Rev. A. Macdonald to Miss Wilson, estate duty on Uncle's legacy but legacy duty still to be paid, the furniture money may all be needed to pay for Uncle Alec's annual expenses, no comment from Aunt Amy, she is lazy and eats badly, Uncle's real intentions with his bequests, Aunt still needs a long rest and is suffering from numbness in both arms, and boarding with the Deaconesses is allowing a rest, high cost of living, less than £400 a year is poverty, expenditure on modest hotel accommodation, an apartment at present would mean more work for Aunt, particularly if it had stoves, servants' wages, rents, furnishing is also expensive, bills for transport of their belongings are now coming in from Paris, loss on exchange from Italian to French money, the gift of money from the Bachelors in Rome was to give them a holiday, so Aunt has not allowed her to draw on her money yet and soon she should be making some, discussion on whether, if Amelia's practice succeeds, they should stay permanently in Metz, they have no wish to return to Scotland, massage is a crowded profession at home, she fits in well with the mixture of French and German in Metz, musically and professionally, if that is the case they will have the rest of their belongings sent to Metz from Edinburgh rather than go on paying storage, asking for details of her parents' plans for retirement, Metz is only 17 hours from London, Mr. Livingstone has written asking her as her father's daughter to give her services to the church, which she will not do. |