State Library of NSW
[Page 261]
England and I do adore France and Italy!
I'm sure you would be most amused to watch the present custom of things in a first class Hotel dining room – stay for dinner – The doors are held open with girls in waiting and in walk the ladies in evening dress carrying a small sugar Tin and any other luxury might fancy. Then follow the men folk in full evening dress with shining shirt fronts and with as much dignity as they can, in their hands steadies a precious piece of butter on a plate. The waiters or waitresses then come out and ask you for your meat ticket – bother – I had forgotten mine – and it took me some minutes to go and get it – I would rather have gone without the meat, only I did want to show them that I had the intelligence to keep up with these complicated times.
Sunday Afternoon was quite nice. I was a bit tired of wandering and admiring – it with paper & pencil I was wending me way to the woods to tell you all about it when I passed an Englishman sitting on a seat alone. We passed the Compliments of the day – he remarked on my being an Australian. Yes, I am an Australian Sister." And that led to my sitting down beside him and we chatted all the afternoon. He ordered tea outside – the view we had was delightful – and the Scent from the borders of golden brown wallflowers was very sweet. I wished I knew his name but am sure he was one of Englands gentleman – and at present having a compelled rest from war work. He had been to Australia in his youth with his tutor and had travelled around the world 7 times. When he was in N.Z. he arranged for a Maorie football team to come to England, then how anxious
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