1913-10-26-helwin-mother.xml

5466
(letterhead Grant Continental Hotel, Cairo)

October 26th 1913

Dear Mother
Just a year ago we were all having a big party if I remember rightly that seems to have 
turned out very successfully as far as we have got now anyway. One thing I haven’t
regretted it and I hope you haven’t. In fact I can’t see how it could have been much 
better. This last year I mean, except of course for the little indisposition in the autumn
in London perhaps, but then that ha its alleviations. By way of celebration the doctor
came this evening and poked and pushed me inside and out. 

2
He felt my pulse and listened to hear beats all over my tummy and then pronounced 
everything perfect. Said so several times and went sofar as to say it probably 
was Frances and not (deleted ‘Emmeline’) (supra:) I want it Bertha if its a girl not 
Emmeline.(vertical text on outside margin) Bertha is a really refined name.
although of course you never could really tell for sure. He said I was absolutely normal
and everything was in the right position with plenty of room. I am just telling you all 
this so as to rest your anxious maternal spirit. Miss Fisher and I are going out to the 
hospital tomorrow to look over the ground. She is going to do the trick so thats all 
right. I asked Dr. Madder about going to Mena House he said it was perfectly safe, as out
we go tomorrow. You see there is a garage out there for which we can get a machine any
moment. If not it only takes about half an hour to get one out from here. He said not to
worry. I said that you didn’t think I worried enough. So there’s all the dope.


?? 5467
opportunity to see? I can think of. I thought you might possibly be interested.

Nothing much has happened, since I wrote to Ethel in the way of gossip. I got your letter
from Oxford. you (had? Heard?) about the umbrella. It would have been better to have left 
it comfortably in the front half in spite of wind and weather. It is now Tuesday and we 
have moved out to Mena House which is certainly much nicer than the city. Yesterday 
morning Miss Fisher and I went out to the hospital to see the matron and have a look 
round generally. The room she said I might have is a very attractive corner one on the 
ground floor over looking the garden and also has a little private veranda. Matter of fact
I think all the rooms there have verandas anyway.  Miss Fisher will have the room next 
door. I am going to use all that mass of stuff we got in Boston so that’s all right. The

4
matron said she understood people had a very easy time having off spring here, so I don’t
believe any body needs to worry.

Herbert has been having a fine time going to the museum with Mr Mace and practically 
rewriting what he was working on last summer. I haven’t seen much of him except at meals 
and then Fisher and Mace were present. However he is doing what he came for and so am I. 
I don’t believe he would have been very happy staying at home all this winter even though
he could have had a regular job. Because after all this thing he is writing he has wanted
to do for years and it couldn’t have been finished up properly at home, which would have 
been rather hard on Mace too as it’s for his book. So it’s just as well we came. 

5468, 5469 (r), 5470 (r)
(letterhead Mena House Hotel - makes sense since she says she moved there?)
Oric and Natica have arrived in Alexandria. Apparently they are going to sip the 
atmosphere of the Orient in true Epicurean manner, and not gulp it down in one fell swoop.
Natica is going to have it dawn up on her slowly and impressively. They are said to be in 
no hurry to get here. Any way they had a man go from Congdons to meet them, perhaps they 
have more luggage than we. If they have they will have to make it into a (......) round 
their little green tent because there surely isn’t room inside. 

5471
We had a time last night getting to bed. Both of us completely exhausted at nine P.M. 
(?...) above. Herbert was arranging my bed pulling out the bolster when suddenly a lot of
its insides came out. We thought the rats had been eating in the summer time. Then we 
looked closer and found the insides were crawling. They turned out to be moth worms! All 
on the sheet. I shut my trunk down so they couldn’t get in and we rang the bell. Every 
body had gone to bed so there was nothing for it but to evict the 
bolster and shake the sheet out of the window and hope the creatures were gone. I had 
visions of them getting

(next page)
into my head and eating what remains of my luxuriant crop of hair. There was no sign of 
any thing morning so I guess we did the trick all right.

This early morning before the dawning of the day I looked out. Our room is high up facing
north of east, so we can see out on the fields to Cairo and the Citadel and the road
going in to them under the trees. This morning there was the little crescent of the 
new moon with the old one in her arms. I wonder if it will be a wet month!

There is an officers strike going on we hear on the P&O Line. It is said for a raise of 
wages but it is understood to be on account of the food supply which is as we know rotten.
You will do

5469 and 5470 (left side)
very well coming on the Adriatic. By the way they say it’s going to be a pretty full 
season out here so perhaps as long as you are going to come on that boat you had better
engage rooms some where in Cairo. The (sumerains..?) isn’t open yet but its still there 
and really isn’t at all a bad situation better in one way than the Savoy because it isn’t 
so likely dull.

I haven’t sent the gloves or the paint yet I hope you haven’t been worrying over them but
I have them safe though in one case there is a slight combination of glove & paint. I had
them fixed together & then discovered the bottom of one of the tubs wasn’t as tight as
might be.  Our best love to the folks. We are still happy though we have our

(up left margin prev. page) trials - I shouldn’t wonder if you find us in the poor 
house when you get here. Any way by having subscribed 1 (pound sign) to the hospital 
last year we get 5 off this. 
Ever yours
Helen