To Edward Frankland   1849¹

An | Den Herrn Dr Frankland² | Gasthaus Zum Ritter³ | Cassel⁴ | 1849.⁵

My dear Frankland

I arrived and you were gone – gone in a double sense – I opened your letter⁶ and your card appeared

Edward Frankland | Sophie Fich⁷ | verlobt⁸

my heart jumped for an instant against my ribs; Noll⁹ was beside me, I thrust the document into my pocket and felt somewhat similar to a fellow coming home and finding that his brother had died two hours ago. ‘O that I could have had but one word with him before departing’,¹⁰ when the probability is that had he even arrived in time he would have had nothing to say – Well the die is cast and I will not indulge in vapoury congratulations; but if a wish as solid as a heart like mine can utter for the lasting happiness of both you and your Sophie be of any value to you you have it – had I an intelligible dialect of my own I would use it, but as this is not the case I must help myself to the accredited form of expression and say from the bottom of my soul God bless you –

Your affectionate friend | Tyndall | E. Frankland

RI MS JT/1/TYP/12/3967

LT Transcript Only