| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, 7 Via Venti Settembre, Rome, to her relatives, thanking them for card and news of Mr. Baird of Broomhill; good numbers for service; Mr. Benton is to audit the church's accounts; Hale had not done it in the absence of Amelia and Aunt; Amelia had done it previously; trying to avoid grounds for Mr. Gibson to criticise; Mr. Gibson resents their return because he can no longer use the manse as his own; Mrs. Gibson is not happy; Mr. Gibson is angry that Amelia will not play duets with him; he does not know how people criticise his wasted life; Hale is attending church irregularly and his wife is growing worse in her behaviour and appearance; Mr. Gibson drops hints about Uncle's advanced years; his remarks about her playing the organ; the Polkinghornes are to come to Rome for Easter; Florence is to start a medical course at Reading and London; Dora is to start a Domestic Economy course at Wantage; older people do not understand how much younger people appreciate a fixed purpose in life; letter from Frau Pfannstiehl who is to give up her servant and make her daughter Luise do all the housework, despite her illness; Luise still wishes to become a chemist; Frau Pfannstiehl thinks they should all serve Herr Pfannstiehl; she wants her son to become an officer; they are reading the 'Corriere della Sera' for the contents; the forcing of the Dardanelles has changed matters in Italy for it affects their interests in the Near East; 'Greece is roused, King Constantine having dismissed the Ministry. Venizelos, the Prime Minister, has the approbation and support of the people'; Queen Sofia is the Kaiser's sister but has retired from public life, though her influence is strong; the King of Greece does not want to go to war; Italy wants to get into the Dardanelles without going to war; Miss Vansittart has died from heart failure and Agnes Bulwer will have lost a good influence in her; Mr.Gordon Walker carried out a cold funeral; quarrel with the consul over approval for cremation; Sir Rennell Rudd, the ambassador, calmed the situation; the country is to be put on 'war bread' unless an individual has a medical order, so Dr. Brock is to be asked for one for Aunt; more classes of men have been called up; account of first aid theory exam; oral exam to follow; practical not likely to be difficult; Dr. Brock has worked hard to prepare them; her own success. |