TALBOT1497

Penrice ¹
Oct 24^th

My dear Henry

I was half inclined to quarrel with the very pretty lithographic drawing you sent me the other day because it was unaccompanied by a single line from yourself – tis a lazy way of pleasing me which I do not approve of – if you knew how fond I am of receiving letters! but it is too bad to grumble instead of thanking you so I have done – next time I lithographize I shall set it up for my pattern for it is in just the style I like. – I had a letter from Kit ² yesterday from Cadiz dated the fifteenth Sep^t & Sir C ³ had one dated the twenty seventh for the packet was detained which gave him time to write again he has sent home some Sherry for Cap^t Feilding ⁴ They intend going to Malaga by land, by way of Ronda & [illegible]. – and embark again at Malaga beyond that he has not said what he intends to do – except going to Naples where we are to direct to him – he talks of some pictures he has been rather tempted by – I should like him to buy some very much – Murillo ⁵ is so very pleasing a painter – the Galatea ⁶ he says is greatly dreaded wherever she appears being taken for a Columbian corsair – We are to set out for Dorsetshire in a few days – I had flattered myself with the hopes of meeting you there as it is in general a sort of gathering point for all the stray members of the family – it is so many years now since I have been there that I have a secret sort of dread at the idea of revisiting the places where I have been so happy with those who are gone – how many I shall miss –

We talk of returning home at Christmas – if we do I hope you will come and see us for surely the interval since your last visit will have been long enough – I hope you are no longer under any uneasiness about Aunt Lily’s ⁷ health – Mama ⁸ was very much alarmed by the accounts of her at one time I hope your sisters are well, give my love to them and tell them I love them as little as can possibly help, because it would be too great a torment to love people dearly whose society I have so little chance of enjoying – I am sorry I am so stupid as to be unable to send you any news from the garden but I have been so busy digging and replanting my own that I have had no leisure to do the usual rounds of the seed-boxes to see whether any thing new of Henry’s is come up – our Guernsey lilies, some Kit brought, have been beautiful Mama’s eyes have been very bad – and Sir Christopher has been far from well – the others are all well and I have been better since the weather grew cooler. – your very affectionate cousin Charlotte T.

W.H.F. Talbot Esq^re
31 Sackville Street
London