TALBOT3737

Lacock Abbey
Friday Oct 5.

My dear Henry

Our Sisters ¹ are not yet suited with a Servant & therefore they will gladly receive further particulars respecting John Dale. – They wish to know whether he undertakes to clothe himself for 35 guineas – for they do not consider 35g. too high, provided there is nothing else required. – The only striking objection that presents itself at first, is the circumstance of his having once filled the Situation of butler. – for servants are apt to be discontented & uneasy in a lower capacity where they are obliged again to submit to the superintendance [sic] of a housekeeper. Of course a single servant has a great deal of his time & arrangement of his work &c under his private control – but he must not be above receiving instructions from the housekeeper as the representative of his Mistresses. Marian says that if he has never been taken what they call a single handed place in a small family, he would not suit, because without experience in this kind of service, a man is ignorant of its duties & is sure to leave the family in a fit of disappointment. Another thing they are afraid he might do which is to accept their place now, with the intention of leaving it in the Spring when situat[ions]² are more easily obtained – & this of course would not please them. – Marian adds ‘if he happened to be going to see his friends in Monmouthshire & we could see him on his way, we c^d judge whether he is the kind of person for us” – you know that in such a case the direction to be given to him w^d be 12 Brock[illegible] I hope you have rec^d your books w^h were sent per van on Tuesday, & that Lady Elisabeth ³ has got the parcel which Mary Mucklestone ⁴ undertook to convey to her. – She ought to have it this morning – We glad to learn from Caroline ⁵ that your Mother is almost quite well again – I had the pleasure of imparting this good news to Lady Mary ⁶ when she breakfasted with me this morning. – She staid nearly an hour & ½ which I thought very handsome, considering she was in a hurry to reach Bath, where she had her carriage to mend & various things to do before proceeding to sleep at Clifton ⁷ – She walked all round the garden & gathered a few seeds – but alas! the flowers looked sadly dismal after last night’s frost M^lle Amélina ⁸ who has been out late r in the day tells me that they have recovered themselves a little & are raising their heads – M^lle A. is pretty quiet at present in regard to her movements, & much obliged by your kind message & wish that she sh^d remain till after your return. – Do you think I need scruple about leaving her alone for 2 days & 1 night next week? – for my Sisters are very desirous of my joining them when they go to see M^r Beckford’s Tower & house, ⁹ for which they rather expect to procure an order next week – & as I want to go to Bath some day & see them & do one¹⁰ things – it seems as if I might easily combine the or rather the 3. – She is nervous & fanciful & gets up at night sometimes in search of robbers, when she hears the slightest sound, but I think that by getting Humphries ¹¹ to sleep in the house for that one night, there can be no real cause for alarm. – Will you tear off the following flap – & give it to Lady Elisabeth w^h will save you the trouble of a message – I am quite pleased with what you have done about the Carriage – as there is so much more to be said in favour of the purchase then [sic] against it – Humphries has gravelled the walk in the Orchard – I have just been receiving M^rs Hennage[?], & her Sister M^rs Stanley – & a whole invasion of Rookes –¹² & am tired –

Your very aff^ate
Constance

Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
31 Sackville Street
London