| | | 23 July |
Peiking July 23d 1892
My Dear Heard,
Many thanks for your letter of July 18 which reached here today rather more quickly than I could expect taking into consideration the state of the river which is still very bad, the Peiko having broken through the dykes some miles above Tsentien [??] and flooded the country there. I hope you did not take amiss my remark about Denby as attributing to you any part in the ???? he and the others had been indulging in. It was not intended certainly to ???? what ?????. Now that I have got over the angry feeling caused by people's talking. I am rather glad that they spent so much time and breath in discussing the probability; when they learnt the news nothing remained but the miles of human kindness, all the fizz having gone off and I must say I have seen nothing but kind and sympathetic faces and heard nothing but ???? words. Max is such a general favourite that I feel that everybody is envying me my happiness. To a certain extent, and nothing is ???? better ??? if the proverbs are true.
I had a bad and at some moments a rather dangerous passage but I carried my point and arrived on the day on which I had said I would arrive. Pigheadedness as I call it now, strength of character as I used to call it when younger and vainer.
You say nothing about your health wich I take to be a good sign; besides Shavermeier+ [???] tells me that you are improving daily. I hope he judges the stae of things rightly. -- As to the marriage of an american with a foreigner we had only one instance here I can remember. Miss Nina Howard (a) with Mr Kipperley, they were married at the British Legation and afterward at the Legation chapel and then at the catholic church, the american authorities taking, to my knowledge, no part in the proceedings. The Consul certainly was not up here. --
Ugly placard appear again in Hunan, but we get only what we merit.
I hope Mrs Heard is doing well, give my warmest and most respectful regards to her and believe me, my dear Heard, with every good wish for you and yours.
Yours very truly
M v Brandt
I have good news from Max tho' the dentist is very hard upon her.
+German Consul
| | | 23 July |