TALBOT7615

[fragment of a letter]

Athole Crescent
Saturday April. 24.

My dear Henry

Thanks for your letter received this morning – containing the Bill on Coutts for £125. Today also I received an advice from the Bank of Scotland that they yesterday received the £150· from M^r Awdry, by Mess^rs Smith Payne & Smith – So that is all right – and I am relieved from an anxious feeling that it would not come in time. – I am so glad to hear of Charles having safely joined you, and that you were able to show him a few things in London. I wonder if you will have had rain at Lacock today. – Here it began about three o’clock, after several hours threatening darkness. It is so much wanted to water the parched earth, that one can only rejoice in it – We propose leaving Edinburgh for Keswick on Friday, as being a more convenient day than Saturday. – Our address there will be Castlet Cottage.

Will you be so good as to stop the Times after Thursday? We shall get Thursday’s before we start on Friday – and if it is not too troublesome for the newsman, we might have the 2 next Athenæums forwarded to Keswick & after that to Lacock Abbey as usual.

I hope Charles will enjoy the winding up of his holidays as much as he expected – and that Change of air will have cured his cold & hoarseness – I expect a message about the Photographs in reply to his explanation. – I will try to get the 6 or 8 Photographic portraits which you mentioned in your letter to M^lle Amélina. ¹ And will endeavour to arrange with M^r Szabo ² – to deliver up the negatives of those which he takes of us – But I think I mentioned before, that our business with him is not finished – The fast day on Thursday interfered, and other engagements prevented our going to him yesterday or today. – Our séance stands for Monday, when I hope the weather will be somewhat brighter than it is today. – Poor M^lle Amélina has been suffering so much from her face for weeks past, that she went yesterday to a Dentist, M^r Nasmyth of Charlotte Square (well recommended) and he advised extracting the tooth, which she accordingly had done, but it was a severe trial, and she is much shaken by it. She means to see him again on Monday & hopes he will be able to fill up the holes made by M^r Parkinson last summer. It was so hot here for several days that we began to feel quite languid. This rain will probably refresh the air – We are very busy making our preparations for