13 Great Stuart Street Edinburgh
My dear Henry
Monie has been out twice since I wrote last. – and she feels now that she may venture on the journey South, taking it quietly. We are therefore packing up by degrees – preparatory to leaving Edh on Monday. We propose to make 3 days in London & so arrive on Wednesday – Spend all Thursday there, to see Caroline & Harriot Mundy, and go on to Dover on Friday – Where we wish to make a longer rest, and wait the arrival of yourself and Courier from London – where no doubt you ought to meet him – and get him to see that the Passport & everything else is comfortably organized for our foreign journey – Dover will be an excellent rendezvous – and we intend to take lodgings there for 5 or 6 or 7 days according as we make out our time. – We will send Goodwin to Lacock on or about Wednesday or Thursday next: and hope you will be prepared to let him pack up your things on an early day – I wish we could have given you Goodwin’s services earlier – and with this view we had first settled to start on Sat. – but found the following day’s Sunday trains so inconvenient, that we gave it up – Of course a pouring rain on Monday or other untoward circumstance might cause a delay – but this is our present plan – and I feel how desirable it is not to put off again – You see the time did not admit of going to any watering place between this & London – therefore Dover suggested itself as a good & convenient place for resting a week, & strengthening Monie for the grand start – Don’t hurry your business in London, but give us the benefit of the few day’s rest. At Dover we can settle about the division of luggage, if Bayer recommends that a part should go by luggage goods train – and our own route can be re-discussed & finally arranged with him when we are all together (at Dover)– Give my love to Charles and thank him for the 2 Wiltshire Newspapers – I read the speeches in both – and am glad he got through the business well. – Of course Charles starts with us for the Continent? – I think he has had quite enough of Lacock for one time.
Your affectionate
Constance
I am so glad the bulbous things are flowering so well. –
Thanks for your letter received yesterday. –