Gervase Clifton to H A Hall, 28 September 1909

Transcription
Typed 14 April 2011 by IB

51 Newcastle St

Perth

28 Sept 1909

My dear Aubrey

Yours of the 15th is to hand which I shall answer in two parts. Firstly re your mothers proposed visit to Perth. I have house room as you well know but must be fair and say as regards expenses I have as much as I can get through my income is about £150 a year less than when I married Joy owing to the falling off in. I think the least I can do is to offer your mother a home under my roof if you care to send her to us. If she was housed elsewhere I know it would be unsatisfactory both for me and your mother. The only thing that I do not know about is if your mother can the noise of the children. Children will be children and cannot always be kept in a state of funeral quietness. As regards the arrangements of rooms I leave that to Joy to arrange as she thinks best. She knows what is required and can make arrangements to suit her wishes. I believe Joy is writing you fully as to her proposed arrangements.

The second subject of your letter was Joy’s return. We are both wise as to our ends of the State. I know nothing about the shipping arrangements of Cossack and you like wise know nothing about the running of a house and [?care] of 3 children. I must say I cannot but think Joy knowing how I was situated did not appear  how I go on and also did not appear in any hurry to return home.

I do not think you have grasped the situation I was in. Joy went away or I should say received your wire just after I had started for my office and at once started to pack up. The result was when I came home at night from office I had to start washing up the breakfast things and making the beds.

You must understand there was not a soul in the house with me except the three children.

My office is a mile away from my house so I could not look after the house and office both. My office is my living so house had to look after itself. The children also had to do as best they could. We had to live on cold meat day after day. In fact all we had was cold meat and bread except two days a week.

If anyone had been taken ill I should been done.

When Joy wrote early in August and said the was coming down by the next boat or she was not wanted any more I thought Joy might have thought for one moment that if any one could be spared she was the one that should  think of her home. She knew exactly what I was having to put up with and the risk I was running. You of course could not know anything about the matter and would only look at matters as if they were the same as in Cossack.

Any way I was very glad to see her home again and so were the children. Eric said when he heard Joy was coming home I shall be able to get a again Poor little fellow he had three months sandwiches for dinner. I think Joy looks very well and so does the little girl but she has got very brown

For the last month we have had it quite warm almost like early summer but since Joys return it has turned cold and wet again in fact yesterday was quite winter cold wet and blowing a gale

Very many thanks for the oysters they were very good and the children and myself enjoyed them very much. I see you have taught the little girl to like them also.

Have you any Doctor in Perth you would like us to get for your mother or will you get Dr Brown to suggest one and state the case to him as it would be better for a Doctor to know what has been going on in medical language than from what Joy could tell him.

I hope your mother is still progressing and getting stronger and it will not get too hot before she is strong enough to undertake the journey south.

Yours truly

Gervase Clifton