Hedrington Hall North Hants Tuesday 8th June 1920 Dear Mr. Goodfellow, Well, we are now down to a skeleton staff, for they are leaving in droves. I have spent all morning signing letters of recommendation that Betsy has written in her round hand. I am in a state of shock, my dear neighbour, not just about this desertion but by how each minute I spend in beloved Hedrington another horror jumps out at me. The drawing room is full of mice, there are beetles in the Oriental rugs, woodworm in the furniture, and when I went into the library and opened a book I could barely breathe for the dust that hurled out. I have tried to embroider to keep my mind at rest, but all my needles are rusty and my silk keeps snapping in my hand due to rot. At one point I felt so distressed I retired to my bed, but there is an odd smell in my room. I think a squirrel may have died beneath my bed. In despair, Elspeth
122 · Mrs. Coltsfoot’s Neighbour