Letter to General George Higginson
1888-06-10

[Page 1 of 5]
Gordon Boys' Home
Matron
June 10/88
10 South Street
Park Lane. W.
Dear General Higginson
Sister Constable will be at
Waterloo Station on Tuesday
morning in time to catch the
7.35 a.m. train to go
to Sunningdale, where the F.
Verneys will meet her and take
her in a fly to see Gordon
Boys' Home and Hospital,
returning to Sunningdale at
11. She will then come
here, according to your kind
wish, & "report" to me "quietly"
"What she thinks of it".
I am sorry her visit there
will be so hurried. On account
of its being the Ascot week, she
was advised to put it off
[Page 2 of 5]
till next week. But if you
mean to come to a "formal"
decision at your Wednesday's
Meeting, she must, at least,
as you wisely stipulated,
have seen the "Home" &
Hospital first.
I wish she could have
spent some more hours there
& seen the boys' dinners
served. etc. etc. & the sickly lads.
But when will you or your
"Home" Committee see her
before you Wednesday's
Meeting? Shall it be
on Tuesday afternoon at
Cockspur Street? I will
keep her here till any hour
[Page 3 of 5]
you may appoint for her to
come in the afternoon, if
you wish it.
And when will you take her
character from her Matron,
Miss Vincent, at
St Marylebone Infirmary,
Ladbroke Grove Road, W.?
independently of us.
I trust before Wednesday.
I have just ascertained that
"She will have to give one
"month's notice" - (this 'one'
month is a concession) "to the
"Committee" at the Marylebone
Infirmary "and stay the
"month; and should have
"at least three or four
[Page 4 of 5]
"weeks' holiday, before
"she undertakes a new
"post", if you engage her.
They will "miss' her work"
at St. Marylebone Infy
"extremely".
Unless you could put off the
proposing her at the Meeting
of the General Committee on
Wednesday, how are the most
necessary steps to be gone
thro' ? on Tuesday?
[It was "impossible' to arrange
her going to the Gordon B. Home
on Monday (tomorrow).]
Have I met all your
wishes as nearly as was
possible?
[Page 5 of 5]
2
I have sent S. Constable a
copy of Genl. Tyndall's kind
answers to our Questions
- also a copy of the
"Matron's duties", as laid
down by you.
As you will see her so
soon, I will not trouble you
with more
May the Home's best
interests be served
is the ever-present wish
of yours most faithfully
Florence Nightingale
I have troubled you with the
hours of S. Constable's visit to
Gordon B. H. on Tuesday, as you
kindly wished to "warn
"General Tyndall"
F.N.