TALBOT2764

Laycock abbey
1^st December

My Dear Henry

Here is the first of December arrived & not you! This is not your usual exactitude. I must conclude you found the roads through France worse than you expected, or that the Syren [sic] voice of Caroline ¹ persuaded you to prolong your stay at Nice, or that Constance ² has been botanizing along the way side, or that you have all tumbled into the Var or the Rhone. But the most probable conjecture is that the beauty of the Southern Flora has been the remora, ³ and provoking it is that you will return here to a Campagne deserte, ⁴ leafless trees & a verdure rembrunie. ⁵ Indeed Constance has never seen what this place can be. You will find several letters waiting for you chez le Suisse de l’ambassade ⁶ unless indeed he has sent them on to Nice in despair of your coming, but I should hope he has not been so stupid, nor should I suspect him only that he has received several for Caroline which were to be forwarded. Amandier ⁷ is to give him a Napoleon for his trouble will you tell her. This is a horrid time of year to shew Paris alla moglie, ⁸ short day light, dark days, mud & fog – She cannot see the pictures in the Louvre except enough to say she has seen them, but not in a manner to derive any real pleasure. You had much better shorten your time at Paris now, & go again next Summer with us, for I dare say we shall make a trip as far as that. Horatia ⁹ has kept her bed with a cold & sore throat, she is so apt to catch cold that I am sometimes induced to wish she should pass next winter at Nice or some dry climate, but [it would]¹⁰ be very disagreeable to me, only I w[ould] sacrifice myself for her sake. But all our schemes are as uncertain as possible & cannot be settled till we can talk them over with you, for which we shall have many leisure moments in this tranquil retirement before you go up for the meeting of Parliament. Lady Charlotte Butler ¹¹ is still here, but leaves us the end of this week. – Make haste & come, I am impatient to see you

Ever aff^ly y^rs
EF

Edward ¹² is yours

Mons^r Mons^r Fox Talbot
Paris
pour attendre son arrivée ¹³