I have got my clothes made as you said, my great coat is a very warm and thick one and being rather large will fit me very well when the summer is over. Yesterday when I woke up there was snow on the ground but it has nearly all thawed as the sun was shining brightly all yesterday and today.

We come home I believe on the 10^th of next month, that is in 4 weeks today. I then hope to get you some more of your beloved snipe. I wonder what makes people so fond of such little bits of birds that are no bigger than sparrows.

I hope all the babies are well and the ponies Especially the Colt for he is, I think, a very handsome creature.

Very little worth telling you has happened here except that the races have been run and the fellow in my room came in second for which he got 10s. O however taking no chance went in for none of them. I have been higher up in the form since you got the report so that next time I expect to get a better one.

Hoping you are all well
I remain your affect. son
Robert Story

April 1871

I am up and all right today and am nearly sure to go home tomorrow, I say nearly sure because the doctor has not yet decided for certain whether I can go or not, but still he did not make any objections this morning when I proposed it. Of course it was nothing of any consequence that was the matter with me, but still it was very tiresome not to be able to go home with Godly and the rest especially as I had arranged all about it on Sunday.

I have been abominably swindled by the tailor on the matter of my new trousers; before even that they were sent up I went into the shop to see whether they were done, and finding that they were all ready I took them with me to the house, at the same time noticing that a peculiar smell came from them, but thinking that it was only the smell of new cloth, or something of that sort I said nothing. I kept them till Sunday when I put them on and went out for a short walk along the road. When I came back, in brushing off the road dust from the bottoms I noticed that the whole of the bottom of one leg was thickly covered with dust. I brushed this off but as a mark still remained as well as the smell I sponged it, but it would not come out and when I showed it to the housekeeper she at once said it was paraphine oil. Now there is no paraphine oil in the house and I could not have got it out of doors, besides even now if I put my hand on the place and then smell it, it smells quite strongly of paraphine.

Hoping to see you on Friday
I remain your affect. son
Robert Story

I arrived here all right and tight having deposited Louisa in Dublin. But when to Broadstone she slipped away somehow with Aunt Lou's maid and although I waited a long time I could not see her to say goodbye. I went to see Aunt Clara and Aunt Etty and found Aunt Clara up and not looking at all bad, but she was very sorry about not being able to come over in the summer and ride Polly, for as she told me, she had ???? her habit the day I came.

Of course I did not get my remove, although I was not so very far off it as a great many more removes were given this term than there were last, indeed Stuart (see the list) brother of the Stuart in our house was left head of the form.

We have fine growing weather, bright sun and frequent showers, so the whole country looks as green as a pea garden, at least it seems so to me coming from Bingfield. I have got my cocoa all right and find it very good in the evenings; my Altna only swells a very little (?) so little indeed that one would scarcely notice it.

Please see that Townsend takes Duck out with the gun as she was so drearily afraid of it, that if she is not trained to it at once she will never be any good at all.

Hoping you are able to go out
I remain your affect. son
Robert Story
PS. The Grab was wherry goot and only a few egs were broken

May 1871

I have not been content with one attack of indegestion but I have had two, one on the very day a week after I had the first. I am sure one cause is my not taking so much exercise here as at home as I have been most regular in what you mentioned. I put off writing till I got the receipt -- it tells you to use one sheep's head and one ox's heel, but two sheep's heads will do as well but I do not think they would be as good.

I do hope you can get Duck trained but really I am afraid you will find it hard to get it done, but unless it is done, and that before the summer the dog will not be much good.

I wish we had as fine weather as you, but unfortunately we have not but still the weather is not bad though rather broken and cold.

I have found that Adam's the great gunshop in London for £5 and a second hand muzzle loader you can get a new breech loader of the best style of Central fire guns which when new are £12 12s 6d while the pin cartridge are £10 odd. You see as breech loaders are coming so much into fashion they are becoming continually cheaper.

The brass band is again beginning to pick up and the bathing place has been opened but of course I shall not go down there till the weather is warmer. I had a shocking loss today, of a cricket ball (7/6) which a fellow hit into a field of long grass and of course I could not find it, and never shall even when the field is mown as of course if it is found the finders would not give it up for nothing even if they did so at all. Then probably I should never know who found it.

Please tell me how you are all getting on as I have not heard for a long time. Indeed I have not written for a long time myself. Tell Ted to write to me and then I will write to him in return as I want to know whether he has yet discovered a method of ploughing with the horse after the plough and the man before.

I remain your affect. son
Robert Story.

I own that I ought to have told you about the accident: Godly in some unaccounatble manner managed to get in the way as I was sending off a small quantity of loose powder, so there was really not much danger, but he, as it did not go off at once as it was wet, bent over it and so got his face scorched. However now that he is all right and that you know all about it my mind is at ease as the other day I myself told him that I had not said anything about it knowing that you must hear of it. However I have made a resolution never to make experiments again if possible. I am sorry to say that the servant has smashed all my crockery except one cup and sawcer and a milk jug so I must get some more and not havinf the means I am reduced by "dirai neccitas" to write to you. I only want two or three plates and a cup and sawcer and a bowl so it will not cost much, 2 or 3s or very little more. I would not write unless it was absolutely necessary as I am not in want of money only for that.

You need not trouble youself so much about Duck. Indeed I am afraid I am bothering you very much as it is; as all the dog wants is to be taught obedience (it knows that very nearly now) and above all to like the gun. Taylor could do this last in a month os so, so there would be no need to send it to Stradone. I think Taylor is a capital fellow and very civil as it is no small trouble to teach a dog like Duck and takes a great deal of patience.

I hope you will soon send me my night gowns or, do you wish to wait till summer? as I can do so if you have too much to do just now.

I can hardly imagine the time now when I found it hard to fill a letter as now I have more to say than I can get in to one piece of paper. Writing now seems to me like talking to the person to whom I am writing and that is more than it used to do.

I went to breakfast with Dr Butler this morning and enjoyed it very much as I had all the talking to do with the doctor. I found him very pleasant - indeed I am beginning to like him immensely and it seems to me also that I hear him spoken of less with dislike. It may be however that being now amongst a different set of fellows I meet with different sentiments.

Oswald is mad on the subject of boats, he wrote to me not long ago and sent me a cannon (?) in his letter asking me to return it when I next wrote.

I hope Papa will get the boat on the lake before I come home - I have a bright idea (please let Prime Minister Papa consider it he decides as there are "woighty" reasons pro and none that I can see con) ie. keep the boat where Gahens did, at Robinsons by Ballyhillan Bridge it would there be in a better place than at Portaflag where it was very seldom in the boat house and at Robinsons it would be just under their house quite close to the road and much nearer than Portaflag and though not actually on the lake; yet the river leads to the lake close to Trinity Abbey and if Papa (as he thought of doing) got a leg of mutton sail, it would be easy work getting to Beadles Tower by sailing. The very thought of the glorious fun we would have then almost makes me dance.

This time I come home after Os on the first of August a full week later than ???? so I shall have the pleasure of being received by him not of receiving him.

Our prospects are so bright that I hope that this time we may all be in good health (you in particular) to realise them, and that these next holidays may not be like last years.

I remain your affect. son
Robert Story.