Nancy

A friend was curious in what I was reading, and I opened to this passage in the Mitford sisters letters:

(Nancy to Pamela)

"Derel [short for dereling,darling]

I never remember birthdays until I see the date & then I say to myself Gog [uncle George] or whatever it is.

How are u? I don't seem to have heard for ages.

I hear all your dogs had children while you were away-what scenes there must have been on your return with twenty dogs all rushing out hunting, all more idiotic than ever, & you in hot pursuit, hairnet on head & whip in hand.

I bought The Best of Boulestin but the agony of translating for Marie makes it rather useless.

I hear you can't come to France any more for fear of being Drummoned by Diana & me for The Will.

Victor Cunard would like to marry you but we have had to forbid it-people sometimes ALTER their wills when they marry.

Dereling, many happy returns. No more now as I have much work to do.

I am told you can kill dogs painlessly & quite cheaply by gas, do think it over.

Love from N. "

Editor's notes: When the Mitfords lived at Asthall, Pamela had come down to dinner one day wearing a hairnet and Tom came up with the rhyme, 'The Woman, the Woman, the brave and the fairnet/ When she came down she was wearing a hairnet.'

and then a rather mindless one from Pamela to Diana, who was in prison during WWII due to Nazi sympathies.

"Darling Nardy,

I hope no bombs have dropped on the Prison yet. Max & Alexander [Diana's two youngest sons] are very well, except that Max has rather taken to not sleeping much in the day time. Nanny thinks he may be getting some teeth. He is now having milk from an Aryshire herd in the village which is not only T'[tuberculosis] tested but also Attested which is the very best that it could be. The other day I was out blackberry-ing with Alexander in his push chair & the most peculiar looking Aircraft came over which looked just like a huge toy one, it was so old fashioned. It was very low & at first I thought I saw figures standing between the double wings & holding on to the wires in readiness to jump off. When it arrived closer I could see that there were no figures & that it was English. It made a wonderful Nanny tease & I told her that I put Alxeander well out in the open so that he could be plainly seen his white coat & that I rushed into the hedge & hid! Nanny has to be teased a good deal, she enjoys it. Of course the darling dogs are a very good teasing subject, she thinks I take far too much notice of them & not nearly enough of her babies. She always comes into the library with me after dinner to hear the news & do some knitting. Alexander is to have a scarlet woolly coat made. His blue one looks lovely & I do hope you are not too cold; we can send you some warmer things if you want them.

In haste to get to Banbury & catch the post.

Love from Woman."

Although Pamela seemed to be the most mellow of the sisters, this letter shows proof of the teasing,callous,sarcastic vein which Nancy was the heiress of.

a great one from Nancy to Diana, Nancy had invited Decca (Jessica) and her family to stay with her in Paris, but as the time neared,she got cold feet and fled to Deborah's in England.

"Oh dereling oi am in great & terrible despair. I'm almost sure, from signs too long to explain, that the Truehafts have moved into rue Mr, & I can't bear it. I've written to Marie to say she must tell them you are both arriving on Monday for a few nights as this seems the only way to dislodge them. (I've sent 50 pounds for an hotel). I rang you up but you're away & when you get back darling I beseech you to telephone Marie & find out what's going on. No good me ringing up because when I did, & got onto Decca, she merely put on that stone walling voice & I could get nothing out of her except idiotic giggles.

I nearly got into an aeroplane today, but it is enormously inconvenient to do so & Debo [Deborah] very much dissuaded me. I have an utter mass of things in London next week & you know how it is-& have left most of my clothes there & so on.

If you talk to Marie (were you in paris you could make Mme Brard [Nancy's concierge] bring her out to the motor) tell her once they've gone they're not to be allowed into the flat again-she must shut all up & pretend to be away.

I know you'll feel for me & do what you can. (And Evelyn says I am a communist agitator (the comble [limit]).

All love,N"

All love,for now at least my derelings, oi am so twad oi feel I moight doi.