101 Princess St
Manchester
(Monday) 25 August 1913
My dearest Dolly
Thanks for your postcard received yesterday. I have had a very quiet week-end & done nothing of any moment.
On Saturday morning Frank came to me here & said Bert was leaving home as he had stood enough of it & didn’t intend to put up with any more rows. I went to see him & talked to him nicely & incidentally gave him a good choking off, as whichever way one looked at it, father was in the right, but father made the mistake of continually rapping it home. However I persuaded him to see the error of his ways & he came home as usual. Then when I arrived home I tackled father & settled matters with him, but I had to be very careful as he was quite in the right & I didn’t want a rumpus.
Afterwards I went to sleep for a couple of hours. After tea I read a little & amused myself at the piano. Jones came round in due course & we walked down to town examining all the second hand shops en route. I want a bookcase very badly & he wants something else – what I don’t know – but neither of us found anything suitable. We had a nice intimate talk & I think it is quite possible he will get engaged in the immediate future. I rather fancy he wants to be married in the spring of next year so he looks like beating us. His only trouble is finance – just as I am in the same boat. He can almost see his way clear & he promised to give me all the information as to cost etc in due course. He hasn’t quite decided what locality to live in & as Miss McLean is coming up to m/c in September he will take her round to about three places which he considers suitable. We visited the Continental & just before eleven called in at the Prince’s Café & walked home.
Sunday morning I went round to see my old Spanish master & had a few words with him & his wife. I was introduced to a Swede who is the principle chemist at Levinsteins. He would insist on me trying his piano which is a beauty & so the morning passed.
After dinner I read a little & went to sleep. I strolled down to the park & met father & Gerogie(?) & we listened to the band. After tea father & mother went to the Cathedral & I went for Jones.
We set off walking at 7.15 & went right along Slade lane to Parrs Wood corner – on to Cheadle – called at the White Hart & then went on to Gatley & called to see Platt. We stayed ten minutes with him & resumed our walk through Northenden & on to Palatine Rd. from whence we took the car to the Birch & walked home. I think it was pretty good.
This morning I had letter from Mrs Todd, Frieda & Orr. Frieda has passed her exam & I am going to cable congratulations to her. She seems quite delighted though sorrowful her dear old Dad isn’t there to hear the result. Poor kiddie – she does miss him.
I do hope girlie you will have a good time & that the weather will be kind to you. Enjoy every minute of the day as there are no more holidays for some time, & I want you to be in the best possible condition to face the winter.
Please give my love to mother & with heaps & heaps of it to your dear little self.
Yours for all time
Harry