TALBOT3385

Wednesday night

My dear Henry

I had not time to write you the smallest scrap today by way of accompaniment to the 2 letters which came for you, one today the other yesterday. – Ela ¹ & I had an engagement to spend the whole morning at Bowbridge, & I only lingered at home after the arrival of post sufficiently long to devour the contents of your letters & transmit the results to my Sisters. ² – And I entrusted to them the task of enclosing the unfranked letters to M^r Strangways, ³ as I perceived by yours that he was still in Town.

I felt rather inclined to doubt whether an effusion, from the pen of Sir J.D. Astley, ⁴ could be worthy of a 2^d edition of postage & yet I was uneasy at the idea of its waiting for you here until Saturday as it might possibly be the same subject connected with important County business –

I am indeed distressed but not surprised that you should have caught cold – I am told that the last week; though so wild & pleasant, has been anything but healthy – & the Doctors have had more on their hands than they could well get through. Pray don’t forget to bring the tippet for Ela; & if you should stay a day longer than you at present talk of, pray bring for me one of those neat little lamps without wicks which M^r Feilding ⁵ patronises, & which are sold at the Bazaar for a very small sum – I think they would please my Father. ⁶ We enjoyed our excursion to Foremark yesterday extremely – Sir Francis ⁷ provided a regular dinner for us under the name of Luncheon, much to our astonishment; for we had expected to find him living in a scrambling sort of style; with no symptom of comfort about him. We lionised ourselves to the inside of the house, before our host returned from a coursing party – & after Luncheon, he conducted us himself to a curious hermitage on the backs of the river Trent about ¼ a mile from the house. – It is an ancient excavation in a pebbley rock, a bit of rock abruptly facing the Trent & the only bit which is discoverable in the neighbourhood. It is thought to have been a work of the Monkish ages, & from its name of Anchor-church to have been the habitation of an Anchorite. ⁸ It is famed for its curious plants Sir F. said, whereupon I wished for you more than ever –

I rejoice that the Royal Society have been doing you honours⁹ & I hope you will feel excited to new exertions – Had your friend, D^r Roget, ¹⁰ a hand in it? –

Good night dear Henry, it is striking 12 o’clock – too late you will say to be sitting scribbling to you – But I have got my night cap on & shall jump into bed quite snugly –

Your affectionate
Constance