TALBOT5620

Lacock Abbey
Sunday

My dear Henry

Horatia ¹ has had excellent accounts from Caroline ² yesterday & today – She performed her journey on Thursday well; in spite of the wretched weather, lunched at Exeter whereby she lost considerably more than an hour & crossed over to M^t Edgcumbe ³ about ten – without any difficulty and was not even nervous, as they assured her there was no danger – A few hours earlier the water had been extremely rough & she would not then have been able to cross – She described the trajet ⁴ in her usual graphic manner – she said the water dashed over her face delightfully, and beat against the bottom of the boat, as if it would have driven it in – She found L^d. M^t. E ⁵. pretty well – Ernestine & Charlie ⁶ perfectly so –

I went to Sloperton ⁷ yesterday & sat with M^rs. Moore ⁸an hour or more – She is in wretched spirits still doubting whether there may not be some mistake in the account of Tom’s ⁹ death & making enquiries – but no answer received as yet from a dependable quarter – I saw M^r. Moore for a minute – he is looking very ill – quite broken by so much sorrow – They had built their hopes of happiness on the reform in Tom’s character & expected great comfort in his return –

I shall scarcely be able to superintend the cutting down of those trees if this rain continues – indeed it has already hindered their bringing away those that Caroline cut – Humphries ¹⁰ says there is work for three days in clearing what is cut – even with the 2 men (Daniel Robins & James Killiar) – whom he kept on for that purpose –

Horatia is writing to M^lle. Amelina ¹¹ today – & as she kindly undertakes to give a message from me, I shall not write myself. –

Your affectionate
Constance.