WCP62

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset.

Sept^r. 10^th. 1902

My dear Will¹

Your P[ost]. card just rec[eive]d. If you will come & help us at the house all you can, the sooner you come the better — either next Saturday, or Monday at latest. There are so many things still wanting doing that the 4 carpenters we still have are not enough, and you could I am sure be a great help, especially in putting up the Compo[site] board ceiling to Study & Hall ^work which is new to all of them, & if you helped Percy with this it would release another carpenter to go on with equally important work — a new window to make, others to [2] be altered, doors to be hung, Stair-ballusters[sic] & handrail to be fitted, &c. &c. &c. Other little things you could help in, and also, here, get rid of all useless books in your room. On Tuesday morning I shall go over to Broadstone to stay in lodgings we have taken near & convenient, and you (or Violet²) can stay there too, till the end of the week, when we have agreed to move out. There is a sitting room & 2 bedrooms, & another bed can be had close by. You could cycle over to Parkstone whenever necessary & look after the alterations in Kitchen — new range & repair of pipes — I have agreed to do. There are also shelves &c. to be put up in the new house [3] blind-fittings to be fixed & other work of that kind which would interrupt the carpenter’s regular work. The North room was finished first, & is quite dry, and after the 20th. when the move takes place you might occupy it & Violet would make your bed, as it is close to Bath room & lavatory. By that time I hope I shall be able to occupy mine — as all the wall-lining will be finished this week, & there will only be the staining to be done. Then the moment the Compo[site]-board is up it can be distempered white, & the room will be finished. We are however still without the [4] "Rational" gratings for the fire.

Cannot you manage to have 3 weeks this time? Tell them the special circumstances, and that is it my request.

An Australian cousin'[s] ^youngest son of C. A. Wilson³ of Adelaide, the Entomological lawyer I used to correspond with, and a budding doctor, is coming tomorrow to see us & Violet, who is to come home today, I suppose.

Let us know day & time of your arrival as soon as possible.

Your affect[iona]^te. Pa | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]