Wedding letter to Kate, pages 9–10: arranging the supper table, the reception 'a very Successful affair'
Book 1, Page 190
Transcription
An open-book scan showing two facing leaves of a handwritten letter in brown ink on lined paper. The right leaf is paginated 10 at the top centre. A small pencilled annotation above the first line of the left leaf, in a different hand, reads: Mrs Huger & Margaret (apparently identifying “Mary & Hennie” of the next line as Mrs Huger and her companion Margaret — though see also page 191L, where the same names appear separately, so the annotation may simply mark this pair of guests).
Left column (likely letter page 9)
Mary & Hennie [Mrs Huger & Margaret] / helped to arrange / them. We dined, & Mr Williman / fixed the Supper table, of / course Nell had every / thing ^ready! put on the Side / table, So she only had the / pleasure of fixing things / on as they liked. — The / flowers were lovely & Such quantities / they were So Many & So / beautifully arranged the / house looked lovely / with lights & all / Grandfathers branch & Silver / Candlesticks were lit / for the occasion & Some / tiny candle Sticks helped / to Soften the gas light — / We got Delphine to come / & take Charge of the / Spare room — where the / ladies could go & leave / their wraps — Some came / in full dress others in walking
Right column (letter page 10)
dress, bonnets and no bonnets / as they pleased — It was a / very Successful affair / people Stood & Stood / & talked & Enjoyed it — / Some went down Stairs / & got Refreshment of Cake / wine & ice cream & then / returned to the upper / rooms for another / talk — It is said to be / as Entirely different from / the regular Stiff Receptions / as possible — People of / all Ages were here & / those who have received / cards at a distance have / Some of them written / Notes acknowleding them / & regrets at not being / able to attend — Nell / Says she never heard of / Such politeness as they / are receiving on all Sides
AI Notes
An open-book scan showing two leaves of a handwritten letter in brown ink. The right leaf is paginated 10 at top centre; the left leaf is unnumbered (very likely page 9 — the verso of page 10 on the same sheet). A small later pencil annotation above the opening words ‘Mary & Hennie’ reads Mrs Huger & Margaret, identifying which guests are meant by those names elsewhere in the letter (Mrs Huger and Margaret appear again on the same recto as Mary & Hennie at the ‘drawing-Room’ gathering on page 191L=letter-page-4). The writer describes the preparation of the supper table by Mr Williman, Nell’s preparations, the lighting of Grandfather’s branch and Silver Candlesticks (was ‘tile’), Delphine taking charge of the Spare room for ladies’ wraps, and the successful Reception, with cake, wine and ice-cream served, and guests reporting it as ‘entirely different from the regular Stiff Receptions’. This is part of the wedding letter that runs (in letter-page-number order) 189(2/3) → 191L(4) → 193R(5) → 194L(6) → 194R(7) → 193L(8) → 190L(9?) → 190R(10) → 192L(11) → 192R(12) → 195 → 196 → 187/188 (Friday — last pages). The bride and groom are confirmed elsewhere (initials T.G.B. + L.P.K. on 191R and 192L) as Theodore Gaillard Barker (‘Tody’, ‘Theo.’, ‘Tho.’) and Louisa Preston King, daughter of Judge Mitchell King.
Letter continues on page 192L (=letter-page-11). The “they” being thanked on all sides are the bride and groom — Theodore Gaillard Barker and Louisa Preston King — whose Charleston reception this page describes.