| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, 7 Via Venti Settembre, Rome, to her relatives, regarding a letter from Dr. [Donald?] Miller, previously of Genoa, concerning Mr. Laing's death there, and the distress caused by it; she quotes it extensively; his account of the large funeral; Milne Rae asking his advice about Genoa; Rae thinks that Laing will not be replaced and that the property will be sold, though Miller does not think it a good time to sell; Laing was not as old as everyone thought; Dr. Miller did not at first like his successor and is quite cold about him and towards Mrs. Laing; the reduction of staff in Genoa annoys Dr. Miller as it was his pet project; her lessons are to cease with Mr. Green in April; she and he do not get on; there is not enough expression in his playing; examples of his teaching; praise for German teaching; parallels between his attitude to her, Dr. Miller's to Mr. Laing, and Mrs. Brock's to Miss Jazdowska [There were Jazdowskis associated with teaching and art in Aberdeen: James Bronislas Jazdowski, son of John, teacher in Aberdeen, graduated from Marischal College in 1856 and according to an annotation of the Search Room student list died in Rome in 1902]; Mr. Blake is taking advantage of Mr. Laing's death to make further approaches with regard to succeeding Uncle; Mr. Laing would have been a better successor, and Mrs. Laing is very good; Mrs. Wood Brown had told Mr. Gibson long ago that Mr. Blake could succeed Uncle; Uncle is annoyed; Milne Rae's enthusiasm for more colourful Presbyterian services is probably an example of Blake's influence, and he is planning his campaign carefully; Blake and his wife intend to visit Rome; Miss Nevin is their spy as she works at the Y.W.C.A.; Amelia and Aunt are trying to persuade Uncle to choose his own successor by right of his long service; he should go home and meet a few possible candidates and hear them preach; they are worried about crossing the Channel and have now heard of an air raid on Edinburgh; cannon is to be fired in Rome in the event of aeroplanes arriving; they may come from Cattaro across the Adriatic; further speculation on Uncle's retirement, this time from Mrs. Rowat; Miss Cooke and Pretesi, the caretaker, have brought scandal on Leghorn; negotiations have had to involve the consul, Mr. Carmichael; this has brought to light that Pretesi also works at the consulate; Mr. Crozier is coming out to Leghorn; his wife and child are to stay at home for the summer; the climate is quite unsuitable for the child; amusing anecdote concerning Princess Mary as a child; the progress of Tonia, the Russian student at Grenoble; she has been summoned home to Russia; she has fallen into an unwelcome acquaintance with an elderly man; Amelia's advice to her; men are selfish; Uncle inviting a soldier to tea; advice to a Swiss girl wanting to travel to Rome; visit from Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Burns - he looks very unhealthy; she is spoilt; their trouble with servants; she no longer plays the violin; Mr. Burns is more friendly and less bumptious; Miss Shaw, an Episcopalian, praising Uncle's services; she is a governess with themilitary attaché to the American Embassy; the soldier finally arrived and turned out to be the Rev. Alexander Patterson of the A.P. Mission, Cameroons, West Africa; he had heard of Dr. Laws; he appreciated the music in church; he says he is a prisoner of war on parole; Aunt and Amelia made up a parcel of cookies and cake for his journey; he and Mr. Murray have been at Corfu; Mr. Green's comments on Mrs. Brock; her disruption of Miss Edwardes' arrangements; complaints at Roman Catholic arrangement of soldiers' tea party. |