| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, 7 Via Venti Settembre, Rome, to her parents, referring to her last letter, written on 23 August, detailing their journey to Rome; worry over the war, and its effect on mails; Turkey is expected to join in, which will bring in Greece, and Italy is demanding explanations regarding Turkey's actions in Albania; Italy's neutrality will continue as long as Turkey and Austria leave her alone; regiments are posted to the borders with hardly any notice; Oscar is still in Foligno, suffering from tonsillitis possibly prolonged by fear; Signor Vita's amusement at Oscar's tearful farewell; almost every article in the house has to be repaired following his occupation; nothing has been cleaned or maintained and there is a great deal of work to be done; Uncle has not helped by accumulating piles of papers; he appreciates Aunt's work but Amelia feels that Aunt should not have had to do it in the first place; he rests while they work through the scirocco; Maria has been telling tales on Uncle and how he has been taken advantage of by the Gibsons and other guests; the Gibsons have borrowed the best lamp for over a year; Mr. Lorimer has been using the house for storage, and a Mrs. Lennie has been using Uncle to forward her correspondence; Uncle has been plagued with women wanting to marry him, which his sister's presence will curtail; excessive receptions have been happening in their absence; wardrobes are all over the place and not being used for their intended purpose; Uncle is gradually realising that he should not keep quite so much clutter; Uncle wants them to clear the church cellars next, but Maria and her husband will help in return for getting the scrap; they have been putting fresh naphthaline and camphor on stored articles; the lion's skin has not suffered; the curtains are particularly bad and are having to be turned; the nurse Uncle had when he was ill was a good nurse but a bad domestic; cleaning the church and finding that Mr. Gibson's rough handling and lack of cleaning have damaged the organ; men cannot look after anything; Aunt Amy is too selfish to send on their letters to Africa; hoping that there is no trouble in Africa; no politicial views in case the letter is checked; demonstrations in Rome and Italy may soon be against Austria. |