TALBOT4343

Melbury ¹
Thursday –

My dear Henry –

I have made the extracts I wished from Gale’s ² bill as Memorandums – & I now enclose it you – You know he wished to have it next week to deliver to M^r Awdry. ³ – I wish I could know how you are today & whether your journey was as prosperous as mine – Was it not a perfect day for travelling? – all the early part at least for in the afternoon we had occasional showers, though not sufficiently heavy to conceal the beauties of the Landscape. – I particularly admired the latter part of our drive where there is so extended a line of hills on each side – Melbury enchants me – I have written my first impressions to Lady Elisabeth ⁴ so will not repeat them to you – especially as I feel the time devoted to this place too scanty to allow of sparing much for writing. – I paid M^r Lawes’s ⁵ horses to Trowbridge thinking you might prefer it, as you had said something about settling his bill, & not leaving an account there in future. – He had well behaved horses all the way, especially at Bruton, where one of the wheelers slipped down in descending the steep bit of hill in the town. – But he got up again quite quietly & neither injured himself or anything belonging to the carriage – I (of course) thought it best to get out with the children, ⁶ while the bystanders raised the horse up from the ground – and after a delay of a few minutes only we went on again – It was nearly ½ past five when we reached Melbury – Not very quick travelling – but quite early enough to suit the dinner hour &c – The children were very good & Matilda not very restless till the latter part – I found a note from Lady Ilchester ⁷ accepting us for Saturday.

Y^r aff^te
Constance

I was ashamed of my sleepiness yesterday evening, but do not now feel very fatigued. Many enquiries after your health. –

Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
31. Sackville Street
London