TALBOT1920

Bowood ¹
25 December

My Dearest Henry

We stay here till Monday & Lord L ² – has just proposed to me to invite to you to come here Sunday instead of going to Laycock on Monday, or to come here tomorrow if you like it better, only I suppose you will receive this too late in the day to make that possible. We are much amused with your story of the D. of Buckingham. ³ I hope you will show me the Legendary Tales ⁴ before they are given up in publication & that you will not show them to any professed Poet, because if they succeed and are thought good he could have all the credit, or at least be supposed to have helped & corrected them.

There is nobody here but Mary Fox and her brother Henry ⁵ & Mr Empson ⁶ descended from the famous.

I believe Mr Hallam ⁷ is coming & Mr Spring Rice, ⁸ but I am not sure what day. Tomorrow I hear. Kerry ⁹ has been very ill & looks shockingly.

Mary Fox had all sorts of misadventures yesterday on Marlbro’ Downs coming down in the snow.