TALBOT5747

Lacock Abbey
Sunday Oct 11^th

My dear Henry

Your letter from Brussels ¹ was a great pleasure to me to receive this morning – On Friday I rec^d the one from Ghent & answered it the same day ² – but without forwarding any of the numerous letters which are awaiting you here, because I could not take upon me to decide which were of sufficiently paramount importance – How could you impose such a hard task upon me? & again in your letter today?– I write immediately, as you direct me, to Coblentz – as you seem to wish to hear that we are all well but I have no further news – & indeed my letters will be stale & uninteresting by the time you get them. – Our weather is just as stormy & bad as yours – I think rather worse, since you complain much less than I expected – Perhaps this arises from your bearing it philosophically – but nothing can be more vexatious for you – & there seems no prospect whatever of any change – & indeed one can scarcely expect the wet season to be short after such a long continuance of splendid Summer weather. –

M^lle Amélina ³ caught cold without going out of doors & is confined to her bed at present, but I think she is already better & intends to get up for dinner today – fortunately it is a mere cold, without any return of rhumatism. – Though you cannot take views, I hope this journey will have done you good – Have you seen any tempting residence in those parts? for you have been quite over the ground that you thought of occupying – on two occasions – namely this last Spring & a former one. I suppose you make memoranda of all the interesting subjects for Talbotypes ⁴ that may be taken on a future occasion either by yourself or Henneman, ⁵ if you should chuse to send him.

M^lle Amélina wishes you would bring home with you M de Lamartine’s speech on the actual state of affairs – the Montpensier marriage &c, which appeared a few days ago in a newspaper called l’Aime du bien publique – She thinks it may probably be procured without difficulty in any French town that you pass through on your way home –

Rosamond ⁶ is well though still thin & sometimes looking pale – the rest of us are all well –

Wright ⁷ thinks of going to M^t E. ⁸ tomorrow –

Your affectionate
Constance

I think you will understand by what I said about letters, that I have forwarded none either to Ghent or to Coblentz because I could not distinguish the most pressing –

Tuesday 13^th This letter was returned to me this morning from the dead letter office for want of the postage being paid – The Postmistress of Chippenham should be au fait of this. –

M^r Mansel Talbot ⁹ wrote to me this morning to offer himself after next Saturday if you would be at home at that time – I have answered that you are absent now & that I do not expect you home so soon as that – but if that he likes to rest here on his way home – I hope he will – I thought I could not do otherwise than express my readiness to welcome him – but I do not imagine he will feel inclined to come.

Y^r aff^te
Constance.