Bill of costs, Horncastle & Frean, solicitors, 9 Pump Court, London E.C.4
Rendered to the Lady Constance Asher, 30 April 1923. Two leaves of foolscap, ruled in three columns — particulars, profit costs, disbursements. Marked at the head in the senior partner's hand: PRIVATE — not to be carried to the estate account. A second hand, pencil, has ticked several items and written in two margins.
1923
April 8. — To telegram received from your Ladyship at this office, being a Sunday, and to attending thereon out of hours; considering the same. — 6/8
April 9. — To journey to Steeple-Asherton by the 7.10 from Paddington upon your Ladyship's instruction; attending your Ladyship at Asher Hall the greater part of the day; perusing the head gardener's memorandum of that morning; advising thereon. — £3/3/0 — disb. railway and cab, 18/4
April 9. — To attending Mrs H. Asher in the morning-room, alone, at your Ladyship's request, and taking her account of the matter; and to attending her a second time in your Ladyship's presence, the account being then in some part altered. — £2/2/0
April 9. — To considering the question of the constabulary; and advising that no information be laid, the property not having left the house and the parties being of one family. — 13/4
April 10. — To drafting undertaking by Mrs H. Asher: that the plant be restored to the press before Thursday; that no communication pass to the party at the hotel save through this office; that the Bayswater lease be surrendered at Midsummer. Engrossing same; attending execution. — £1/11/6
April 10. — To telegram, Steeple-Asherton to the Junior Carlton, dispatched before noon in the terms settled with your Ladyship. — disb. 2/3
April 10. — To letter to Lord Asher at his club, and to trunk call to the same upon the Monday evening, touching the country paper. — 6/8 — disb. 4/6
April 11. — To attending at the Charing Cross Hotel at four o'clock in the afternoon, and there attending a gentleman in the smoking room; the interview occupying some ten minutes. To advising the said gentleman as to the registration of the plant and as to the consequences of receiving property so registered. No further attendance was required. — £2/2/0 — disb. cab, 3/6
April 11. — To sum paid Bessborough House Nursery, Twickenham, in discharge of their account of the 2nd instant with interest to date; to obtaining their receipt; and to obtaining their undertaking that the consignment book for Michaelmas 1922 be delivered to this office and retained here. — £1/1/0 — disb. £46/13/0
April 12. — To perusing the Steeple-Asherton Mercury of the 11th instant. — 3/4
April 17. — To further attending your Ladyship; considering the question of the registration with the Royal Horticultural Society; and advising that no application be made to correct or to amend the register, the plant now standing in the press being the plant the register describes. — 13/4
April 24. — To your Ladyship's instruction that this account be rendered privately and not carried to the estate account; and to noting the same upon our file. — 3/4
Profit costs — £11/2/6 Disbursements — £47/19/7 Total — £59/2/1
Settlement is requested at your Ladyship's convenience.
— J. Horncastle
Margin, first leaf, pencil, against the Bessborough item:
This is not our debt, and I will not be told that it is.
— C.A.
Beneath it, in ink, in Horncastle's hand:
It is the only paper in England which sets down that there were two plants. It is our debt now.
— J.H.
Foot of the second leaf, pencil:
Paid, 2nd May, by cheque on Coutts drawn upon my own account and not upon the household.
The word does not appear in this account. Not once, in two leaves. I have read it through twice to be certain of it, and Mr Horncastle has had eleven guineas of me for knowing how that is done.
— C.A.