This chapter is all Jessie's writing except for the last bit about the Tree sisters and the letters from Muriel.

1911

Here it is, time for my annual review of our road. But this time I find that there is little new to say about the neighbours, so I will start with our family.

Frank always is very anxious to find out the smallest details in connection with anything that comes before him at work. He had not been in the office long before the c1erks began to realise that he took not only an interest in the work of the office, but is always ready and willing to discuss matters of a general and private nature. I heard them tell of this incident. During his period of articles another young gentleman came to serve his articles. He had not been in the office long before it could be clearly seen that he had a great helpmate in Frank, who was always ready to answer any question or to give references to his books. It may here be noted that they had very many arguments, not only in connection with their studies, but on matters outside office business, chiefly politics, but the same good sporting spirit always prevailed and they remained the best of friends.

Frank, after working for a year or two at practical law, has conceived a great desire to gain, like father, the L.L.B. degree. As he grows older his intellectual powers are developing in an extraordinary way. He more than once has expressed a great desire to go to one of the Universities, and had he been capable of it he would have been almost envious of Charlie who is doing so well at Cambridge. Such a feeling as envy, he is, however, too large-hearted and generous to entertain, and the two boys are wonderfully sweet with each other. Charlie is extremely modest about his achievements at school and college, and at the end of each term, when he invariably came home laden with prizes, he would, should they take the form of books, place them on the shelves, if possible without being discovered, leaving us to find them in the course of time. Or should, fate be adverse enough to let him be detected, he would look almost shamefaced, as though found out in some youthful peccadillo. I believe it made him really unhappy to feel that the work which to him was so easy should prove so laborious to Frank and he does his best to prevent Frank feeling the unevenness of their intellectual powers.

As a solicitor Frank immediately began to show that he is a man with a great future. He was successful in his first cases before the Magistrates, both in Worcester and elsewhere. He not only began to excel in magisterial work, but also in the County Court. At Ledbury, for instance, when conducting a case in the court there this last year, his abilities were referred to by the judge, who before giving his judgment adopted the unusual procedure of congratulating Mr. Frank on the way he had conducted the case, and said that he considered he was a young man who would have a great future. He was soon looked upon as a dangerous opponent, as he always went into court fully prepared in every detail, and his ready reply to almost any point raised showed that he had mastered his case.

Frank is an actor of no small ability. His star part was that of 'Sir Jeremy' in the Duchess of Bayswater, in which he sustained from start to finish the voice and affectations of a snobbish old malade imaginaire, a part exactly opposed to his own character. A stranger who saw him rehearse without make-up, seated in a bath chair said his cheery, healthy face and invalidish manner made up one of the most incongruous sights she had ever seen. His merry ways endears him to children. A small girl after taking a walk, through the town volunteered the remark that she had seen no one she liked the look of so well as Mr. Frank Tree. Another day some children remarked as he passed, 'There goes Charlie Chaplin,' evidently associating him with mirth.

We thoroughly enjoyed Charlie’s home-coming for the holidays from college, and now from his school, and great are the games we have during the long summer days in the garden, and in the winter evenings either intellectual games such as ‘the poetry game’ or ‘telegrams.’ Charlie and Pete are very amusing in their productions at these games, Charlie especially shining at topical allusions. He has, by the way, a keen sense of humour, and wrote one or two quite funny things The following skit on bridge he wrote when at college, and presented it to mother last Christmas with the following rhyme:

A little sketch before you I would bring,
For which no doubt my praises you will sing,
It tells of just a simple game of bridge.

No doubt papa will chant it clear and loud
When round the Christmas fire we all crowd
To listen to this noble work start.

And old and young, the tender and the tough,
Should profit from the lesson of this muff,
And follow my example, clever me,
Your loving son and brother, Charles James Tree.

‘THE ELEVEN RULE’

It was all Matilda's fault.

Not until we were already speeding on our way to dine with Mrs. C. did she tell me that I should be expected to play bridge afterwards. This was a ghastly thought; my head reeled as I strove to recall the golden rules of the game.

‘Whatever you do, don't forget the Eleven Rule,’ Matilda warned me as we pulled up at the door.

‘The Eleven Rule,’ I murmured helplessly.

‘Yes, lead the fourth highest of your longest suit. You mustn't forget that.’

After dinner the worst happened.

‘You both play auction, of course?’ said Mrs. C. brightly.

My moral courage deserted me. I nodded a silent lie, Mrs. C. was my partner.

‘Do you echo?’ she inquired carelessly.

‘Echo?’ I said, unconsciously answering in the affirmative.

‘Yes, you echo, don't you?’

‘Well, no, as a matter of fact I generally revoke-at least-that is-I-let me see-it's your deal, isn't it, Matilda?’

Matilda dealt and briefly diagnosed her hand.

‘One heart,’ she announced.

By a curious chance I also had one heart. This seemed a heaven-sent opportunity of pleasing Mrs. C.

 ‘One heart,’ I echoed.

‘Not enough,’ said Frederick tersely.

‘Well, that's not my fault,’ I replied. ‘I didn't deal the things.’ I felt I had put my case strongly.

‘I 'm afraid you must go two hearts,’ said Mrs. C.

‘Two hearts,’ I said - they seemed to expect it.

‘Double,’ said Frederick promptly. At the card table he is a man of few words.

‘That's four,’ I said with a rapid effort. After all I wasn't getting on so badly.

But I cannot give a detailed account of that night¬mare. Let me say at once that after an hour's agony Mrs. C. and myself were 1800 to the bad.

It was my turn to deal. I had an inspiration-the Eleven Rule! I had forgotten all about it. Never mind, I'd show them now! Confidently I picked up my cards. My hand did not seem very strong. But Matilda's words rang in my ears, and I took courage. ‘The fourth highest of your longest suit.’ My suit was hearts, four of them, l0, 9, 8, 7. ‘Seven hearts,’ I said in clear, bell-like tones.

‘Double,’ said Frederick briefly.

Mrs. C. does not speak to me now. But as I said, it was all Matilda's fault.

Charlie had at one period discussed the question of reading for the Bar, but eventually he decided in favour of education, and last September after he came down from Cambridge, he took a post at a large preparatory school at East Grinstead in Sussex. He finds this work very congenial, and evidently quickly won the affection of his boys.

Last August was a very hot month, just the right weather for enjoying beach life at Shoreham, where the family had a bungalow. Frank made friends with some children in the neighbouring bungalows, and eventually could hardly shake them off; when he said good-bye to them at the back door, they immediately ran round the bungalow and appeared at the front, and followed him to the sea when he went to bathe. The outdoor life and freedom from restraint was much appreciated by the boys, who hate conventionality. I sometimes tell them that they make a convention of unconventionality.

When I read for the first time the lines, ‘Why do you walk through the fields in gloves, Oh, fat, white woman, whom nobody loves, Missing so much and so much?’ I really thought that Pete must have written them, they were so expressive of his sentiments. He also detests affectation or gush, and has no use for anyone who puts on side. Charlie has, too, a sweeping contempt for platitudes, and such a remark as 'It is a cold day, but will be warmer when the wind drops,' almost makes him foam at the mouth, to use his own expression.

No one who spends much time with our family could fail to be struck by the brothers' appreciation of and desire for their sisters' companionship; to paraphrase a cynical remark, we are more like friends than brothers and sisters. This is to a certain extent most noticeable in Charlie, as he is very reserved, and does not so easily make new acquaintances as the other two; he dislikes a push of people, but is quite sociable, and with those he knows well is a most entertaining companion. His brilliant intellect shows itself in many small ways: he is a fine bridge player, he revels in mathematical puzzles, which he never fails to solve, and in written games his contributions stand out from most others.

If I seem to concentrate my writing on the boys, it is because we girls lead such uncomplicated and repetitive lives. We all are still doing what I wrote that we were doing last year. Margaret and I have our jobs in the town, Beth is teaching music, Mary is getting ready for her wedding, and Janet is at school.

And the neighbours too, are boring in their lack of excitement in their lives. I almost feel as if I should make up some great drama in the neighbourhood to make our lives seem more exciting. But perhaps it will happen all by itself next year.

Our Christmas letter from Muriel tells a bit about her family.

Christmas letter – 1911

Dear Jessie

Here it is time for another chance to review the year behind and plan for the one ahead.

We have been settled in Ipoh now for almost a year. Harold’s job is much more demanding, as he now oversees all 3 mines as well as managing the one here at Tanjong Rambuttan, Ipoh. So I see him even less than I did last year. But we have made a few friends. And my best friend, Anna Roberts has just had her first baby, a daughter she has called Mary – so I am now in the position of being able to give advice rather than desperately seeking it.

Jan is very advanced for his age. He is into everything, and we have to be very careful that he doesn’t pick up the many poisonous berries that flourish nearby. He and I have such fun, playing together, and he is advancing so quickly it won’t be long before he and I can have a real conversation.

You say that Carrie and Tom are getting married next summer. You will have to take careful notes of all that happens to send to me. I so wish I could be there again to celebrate with you all.

You asked in your last letter if there were any other babies on the way. The answer is no. I still hate this climate and very much want to move to a more pleasant way of life before we increase our family. As pleased as I am with having a child, I know that if I had another here, I would be as worried about him surviving as I was about Jan. I have asked Harold to consider moving to South Africa, and although he can’t really leave this post for another year or so – as things are usually on two year contracts here, he would need to know where to apply and what the situation there might be like, so at least we are thinking about it.

Love to all from Muriel

Shortly after that we had another letter from Muriel.

“I have the most wonderful news. Harold has applied for a job in South Africa, and it looks as if he will be successful. I am so looking forward to leaving Malaya, and South Africa is such a wonderful place. We of course stopped there for three days en route here, and I was captivated by it. The place we are going is in Capetown, in the Western Cape and the tin mine is at a place called Devil’s Peak. I have been learning all I can about South Africa since he first applied.

The actual area we will be living in is called Vredehoek, and the earth dam and other mine workings are on Prospect Hill. It will be a different process than that we are doing here in Malaya, in that we will extract the tin from crushed ore.
We will be sailing on the RHS Sanseon and will land first at Durban and then go on to Capetown.  It is, cool in Cape Town, due to the cold Benguela current from Antarctica in the Atlantic Ocean west of the city. However, Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate. In summer it is usually pleasantly warm. It seldom rains in summer, and only briefly when it does. The winters are cool and wet, but the temperature hardly ever falls below 50° F.

I can’t wait.

Much love,

Muriel”