TALBOT3390

Penrice Castle ¹
4^th November

My Dear Henry

how very odd you have never given signe de vie ² except a scrubby line ³ dated 27 October! What can you be about? – We leave this tomorrow for Lanelay, situated on the river Elay.⁴ We shall stay two or three days with my Sister. ⁵ I hope your Voyage back from Cardiff to Bristol may be as prosperous as when we were coming nothing could be more perfect, it almost made me in love with Steam. Kit ⁶ is putting this house in repair, which was quite dégradée, ⁷ & putting in some new furniture for in 40 years it was of course much usé, & tombant en lambeaux. ⁸ That lovely flower garden makes me melancholy it is so entirely neglected. You really should write to the Padrone ⁹ here to say whether you are coming or not, & when however it is always possible he might be thinking of going to Lanily¹⁰ or Margam ¹¹ not that he talks of that at present, but it is always on the cards. I think they will be disappointed if you do not come, but at any rate I think you should write something, one way or the other

aff y^rs
E F

Charlotte ¹² has left Tenby & gone home

[envelope:]
W H F. Talbot Esqr
^{Markeaton
Derby}
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham