Page:The Life of William Morris.djvu/576

ÆT. 53] sloppy good-nature, or good-nature of any kind but the simplest and soundest) is apparent in a series of his letters to his daughter during June.

June 2. "Such a knockabout day as I had on Monday! I saw in the Daily News that our men had been 'run in' at Stratford, and expected what followed; namely that as soon as I got home I had to go off to West Ham Police Court (which is the Lord knows where) and see about cash for paying their fines: for we foolishly let too many men be run in, so that though the fines were small, it came to ₤5 17s. in all. I am very busy lecturing all this week, and have plenty of regrets for the rest of Kelmscott and your dear company; but what will you? it is part of the day's work."

June 5. "Stories I have none to tell you: 'tis all meeting and lecture, lecture and meeting, with a little writing interspersed. It was Margaret's birthday on Thursday when I went to the Grange I found. She is ever so old, 20 actually, just think, and she the baby of the lot! Both the Hammersmith and the Merton gardens are looking very nice now, though even the latter is commonplace compared with Kelmscott. A lady who came on Thursday sent us yesterday a lot of peonies, single ones of various kinds, very handsome: they are Chinese flowers and look just like the flowers on their embroideries.

"Your old Prooshian Blue (only 'tis indigo)."

June 15. "There is a good deal to tell you about since I wrote last. Though I forget if I told you how I went to speak on the disputed place at Stratford on Saturday week. Well, I went there rather expecting the police to 'run me in.' In which case I should have been fined the following Monday after a wearisome morning. However the meeting was so orderly that