Prison letter from Louisa Garrett Anderson to Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Page 1

Written from Holloway Prison 'Holloway Gaol'. Tuesday (undated, but probably 19 Mar 1912). Closely written in pencil on two sides of a single sheet. Transcript:
Dearest,
I am longing for news of you all. This seems the longest fortnight I have ever spent but I believe the rest of the time will pass more quickly.
Day by day, it is not dreadfully dull and indeed it might be a very great deal worse. Compared to the old days when our people first came to prison, this is almost like a badly kept hotel with cold monotonous food and bells that no one answers!
There are a great many alleviations and I have been given a cell in which there is an open pane and I am among friends. We have an hour out of doors every day if it is fine and we have organised games which are 'not seen' by the authorities. The Home Office has allowed me to have some books sent in, and I have some sewing to do. I am quite well and I am eating everything and sleeping very soundly.
It is hateful being so inactive and not seeing the papers or knowing what is going on at this immensely critical time, but having accepted all that as inevitable I am using this time as a complete holiday and I think I shall come back looking very well and young. There are many very nice people in here - most of whom I did not know before. They come from all classes and represent so many different types and they are so amusingly and extraordinarily un-militant in appearance! To my immense relief Mrs Saul Solomon is kept in hospital so that I haven't brushed up against her. I think if she came into this block it wd be fair ground for application for remission of sentence, don't you?
I had faced in imagination, something infinitely harder to bear than this, although of course I knew that the physical discomforts would be a small part of the whole thing.
I am afraid that the Coal Strike is still very serious and that it must be a great difficulty to AA & Co [The family business, Anderson, Anderson & Co, which ran the Orient Line]. We are awaiting the result of tomorrow's trial with great anxiety - and also the fate of the 2nd reading of the Bill on Friday. Mrs Pankhurst has just come out of hospital into this block. She is looking frail and white but very sweet & courageous and smiling. She says that C [Christabel Pankhurst] is writing her articles and is conducting all business as usual.
I am due home on Apr 9. It wd be very nice if you could come up to me for two or three days that week or I wd come to you for the day. I think I must go to the cottage for the following Sunday.
Very much love to all of you. Please give special messages to Alan and Ivy and Aaa [LGA's brother, his wife and Helen Lorimer, who had cared for EGA's children].
I think of you all very often and especially dearest of you always very lovingly.

Scan of front side