TALBOT4876

Lacock Abbey
Thursday

My dear Henry

We have been [expec]ting¹ you home from Oxford not knowing that you meant to return to London first – I did not fancy you would persevere in Calotyping as long as four days but I am extremely pleased that you did & that some of the views pleased you so much – Lady Elisabeth ² & I are just come home from Bowood ³where we dined & slept yesterday – Your absence was very much regretted – It was very pleasant & the real summer weather of today made the house & garden appear a perfect Paradise. – You will find London disagreeable in proportion & I hope you will really come down to us on Saturday & bring Horatia ⁴ – Lady Elis^th opened your letter just as she was hurrying out to her Pond & bade me write to you – The children ⁵ are very well. I gave the 5 quires of paper to Porter ⁶ as you desired & one quire afterwards when he asked me for some – but perhaps I did wrong – Is there nothing more that he can do, because he is quite idle. –

I have not time to write more than this scrap – because it is dinner time –

yr affectionate
Constance

Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
31 Sackville Street ⁷
London