TRANSCRIPTION:
Kaitangata
Nov 10th 1912
Dear Miss Collier,
I received your letter a few days ago, and I think it is time we were writing to tell you particulars about the booking. Mrs [illeg.] went to Dunedin last Tuesday and booked the berths. Book’s agent said he would secure the very best two berth cabin available – He will send us the number of the cabin as soon as he receives it from the N.Z shipping boys principle office in Christchurch. You travel free from Wanganui to Wellington when going to meet the boat.
We are not sure yet where Mary will be staying in London. We left it entirely to Mrs Scherek to secure suitable lodgings for her and I should get a letter from her sometime this month. I am hoping that you will at least be somewhere near each other. I do not fancy that Bayswater would be as far from the Royal Academy as the Alexandra House is /- The new Royal Academy is at York Gate Marylebone Road south of Regents Park and the Alexandra House is close to the Albert Hall. I am sending you a little map out of a pocket atlas of London and you can see by it how Bayswater and those other places are situated. I have put a x at the place where York Gate is shown on another map, as it is not marked in this one.
If you are out of London sketching during Mary’s summer vacation I should like her to go with you if possible – It would be delightful to see something of beautiful England. A young lady who had several trips home told me that it was very pretty about Twickenham in summer, and that a number of the suburbs are very nice –
If possible Mary will go to Wanganui to see her [illeg.] people before she sails and I am trying to persuade her father to go with her. We think she will go north about a week before sailing – I am so sorry about your ‘Graphic’ being lost, I posted it to Mrs F Brown about six weeks ago along with a letter explaining why I had not sent it sooner. Last week we had a letter from Mrs Brown and he said it had not turned up – I am wondering if they got my letter. I shall write to May tonight, we have been very neglectful lately, and they have all been so kind and good taking such an interest in our plans for sending Mary home.
Now that the berths are booked I am beginning to realise that she is really going. We shall miss her sadly, but we are doing it for the best and I somehow fancy that you will both find good friends at home. The present High Commissioner Mr T Mackenzie is an old friend of Mr Frazer’s and I am sure he will be only too pleased to give you both help or advice at any time if you require it. Mary has been in Dunedin since Friday, she is coming home tomorrow and will write to you soon.
With kind regards
I am
Yours sincerely
M. G. Frazer