Hôtel de l’Europe, Venice
February 11th 1869
My dear Henry
We have not heard from you since your letter of the 27th Jany – which letter was perhaps alone attributable to the visit of Miss Emily Murray – thus demonstrating how much you stand in need of occasional excitement! I am still in hopes that we may hear something from you this evening, and I will keep my letter open until the post comes in, after dinner. – We are all thinking especially of you today, – and only wish that my pen could convey half the affectionate feelings of our hearts. – Charles & Monie have both told you, I believe, that we are only wanting for a suitable state of weatherto make our first move from Venice, so that you will scarcely expect to find us still here when you come to Italy. We want sunshine to enliven us after a long continuance of fog – but it is a great relief to have been free from fog these three last days – and to have a change from cold to very mild weather indeed. – the thermometer at this moment, ½ past 3.p.m. stands outside my window, in the little back street, at 50 deg. Faht – Some of us have had colds – Ela’s taking the form of a slight attack of lumbago – which prevented her going upstairs to dinner, notwithstanding an excellent appetite; but today she feels quite able to venture; and you know what a steep flight of stairs it is, leading to the dining room! – We did not see much of the Carnival ourselves – but from all accounts it seems to have been carried through with great spirit by all classes, especially the lowest. – Some of these (masks) were overheard consulting, in under tones, about the chances of getting something to eat, after dancing the whole of the last night: being very hungry – without a sous to pay for their supper, or for the hire of their fantastic dresses, next day, when they would have to take them back to the shop. – Poor people! I could not help admiring their spirited part in the Carnival, in spite of extreme poverty. – Charles hopes you had his letter, & that you gave his message to Mr West Awdry – to which he is still waiting impatiently for the answer. Can you not explain what has been done about selling the Pony! I too am expecting an answer to my request of Jany 8th namely the short statement of trifling things paid for us to Goodwin by Charles. – And now comes what your son in law used pleasantly to call the ‘Sting’ of his correspondent’s letters, when they wrote to him for money. I wish there were some possible way of making the remittances hold out longer. – but since Charles joined us, the bills are of course rather heavier – and I must now ask you to send me a new letter of credit, – Charles will pay his share at a future time – at present I only keep an account against him – I have been reading with great pleasure Lord Macaulay’s history of England, which I got from Münster’s library; not having read it before – and now I have begun Lord Mahon’s, which makes a very good continuation – I enjoy this kind of reading all the more from having previously taken a surfeit of novels. – I have also succeeded in getting some of Macaulays Biographies, which are so interesting – and may be read more than once – In theology we have Robertson’s Sermons, (Tauchnitz edition which we bought here) – which are excellent. He appears to have been a most enlightened liberal minded man – very different from the generality of clergymen –
With very much love, dearest Henry, from all of us, I am your own affectionate
Constance. –
[envelope:]
Angleterre
H. F. Talbot Esqr
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham