Newcastle
Friday Aug. 24th
My Dear Constance
I only received this morning your letter <1> dated Tuesday night – Since you still wish to visit the Lakes I have no objection – My fear was, not that you would have one mauvaise gîte upon the road; but that when you got to the lakes you would find no gîte at all, & be compelled to retrace your steps as at Buxton – I intend to leave Newcastle this evening by the 5 o’clock train, & sleep at Carlisle, & go on to Keswick <2> next morning. It will probably take me some days to find a villa or comfortable apartments in an hotel, when I have secured them I shall write to you to come. In the meanwhile you had better stop at Matlock in case you can find comfortable accommodation, if none, then go on to Buxton. Or, stop at Matlock till Harriet <3> has engaged for you proper rooms at Buxton. I shall direct to you Post Office Derby; & you must write to the postmaster to say where he is to forward your letters & newspapers to. Direct to me Post Office, Keswick
Cumberland
I daresay Derbyshire Nurserymaids are very good cannot Markeaton <4> produce one? I think our present one cannot be continued, but we must part with her as soon as she is well enough to travel by coach.
Your affte
Henry
I wrote with steel pen because I was too happy to get anything in the state of confusion this town was in.
Mrs Talbot
Markeaton
Derby
Notes:
2. Keswick, Cumberland.
3. Harriot Georgiana Mundy, née Frampton (1806-1886), WHFT’s cousin & sister-in-law.
4. Markeaton Hall, Derbyshire, NW of Derby: home of the Mundy family.