TALBOT207

L. Abbey
Wednesday

My dear Henry

I hope your Spectacles will like going by the post – but I feel a little afraid of their being broken. I have just been driving to Bowood ¹ with Aunt & Cousin Mary ² – All there seem very florishing [sic] including Clan Maurice ³ – Lady Louisa ⁴ is particularly brisk – M^r Stansfield [sic]⁵ is there putting some finishing touches to his new pictures in the Dining room – M^r Grahame & his French Wife & little Son are staying there – She amused me very much.

We had a brilliant Sun yesterday as you guessed – poor you could only see him through a fog. It was cold & frosty – but today is mild & dark & rather windy – a pleasanter day in my opinion – & lucky for our drive in the open Carriage – Aunt Mary goes positively on Friday morning – early – so I am afraid there is no chance of your seeing her – I don’t think her quite as well as she is sometimes. – She is so very achey. – Lady Elis^{th 6} is much better – & sitting in the Library again, but I believe she will not join us at dinner. – Yesterday I chose another picture of Porter in the doorway ⁷ & washed it in stripes with Parchm^t Size – Isinglass & white of Egg. – I patiently waited till my return from Bowood today to try the Varnish – the white of Egg lets the Varnish run through the Paper – but the others succeed admirably – & I may now try them on better pictures – Must I varnish any of those which you gave me pasted on paper? – I forget what you wished me to do –

yr aff^te
Constance