San Remo. Monday
February 17th 1868
My dear Henry
Thanks for the letter of credit received on Saturday – also for your promised letter which followed it today. – I could not acknowledge the first, while waiting for the second. – So now I thank you for both together. – but I confidently expect in few days to get another letter from you, (in answer to ones which I wrote you on the 11th) with the names of the shrubs & flowers I asked you about. – you will be clever to recognise them by the atrociously shabby specimens I sent! but how could I help this, having before my eyes the fear of making my letter over-weight? –
We have decided on leaving San Remo the middle of next week probably on Wednesday, if all be well: – and the [Grossi? are getting very impatient that we should vacate our apartment as early as it may suit us to ‘move on’ – for they have many applications from families intending to come to stay a few weeks or a month en route to other parts of Italy. And they don’t like to refuse anybody, especially as they have advanced their terms to all new comers – We have possession however, and reserve our right of staying till the day that suits us – At present Ela is in the Doctor’s hands for an irritation of the skin, brought on by a chill & encreased by the dryness of the climate – It is of no further consequence than as being rather uncomfortable – and Dr Danberry expects that she will be quite fit for travelling next week – Mademoiselle Amélina’s hand is very much better than when I wrote last: – and though it still gives her some pain when beginning to use it, she is encouraged to do so, (carefully.) – She had a nice, kind, sympathising letter yesterday, from Tilly, on this accident, with many expressions of thankfulness that it was not worse – And yesterday, I had a letter from Harriot Mundy, giving an excellent account of herself, as she has managed to escape her usual winter attack of bronchitis – Strangely enough she omits all mention of Mrs Noel’s 2d accident – and only dwells upon the extreme disappointment of her ‘belle-fille’ when she found you absent from Lacock Abbey at the time of their visit at the Vicarage – I have no doubt she was sorry. –
We have read with much interest what the newspapers reported of the dis-appearance of poor Mr Speke – and my own impression is that he will not be found (if ever found), alive. I can easily believe what you say of the excitement about it in Wiltshire. –
I don’t at all understand why you permitted 36 letters to be forwarded from Edinburgh – as it is perfectly certain that all our tradesmen (claiming payments of bills) know your address at Lacock – and we were careful to settle all our private accounts before we left in May or June last. – The Miss Lewis’s you mention are among our acquaintances in this house – but we were not aware that they had met Mrs Traherne in Switzerland. – of course – they could not know she was a connexion of ours –
The weather here continues very fine – and though the Sun is sometimes almost too bright, his warmth is never oppressive, from the freshness of the air –
You say nothing of the death of dear old Sir David Brewster! – what a loss he is – yet of course one cannot feel surprised at his advanced age –
With much love from all, I am your affectionate
Constance.
[envelope:]
H.F. Talbot Esqre
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Angleterre