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Document number: 3742
Date: Sun 14 Oct 1838
Postmark: 15 Oct 1838
Recipient: TALBOT William Henry Fox
Author: TALBOT Constance, née Mundy
Collection: British Library, London, Manuscripts - Fox Talbot Collection
Collection number historic: LA38-30
Last updated: 16th November 2016

Lacock Abbey
Sunday. –

My dear Henry

I have not written oftener to you because there has been a tolerably constant correspondence between Mlle Amélina <1> & me with the inmates of 46 Dover Street, <2> & as I imagined you would hear of our welfare from them. I am rather glad you do not propose to return tomorrow, because if the weather is fine, I have fixed to drive over to Bath, sleep there & return the next day. – This little project of mine has been so long delayed that I feel quite anxious now to put it in execution – & before the weather becomes too wintery. – We have had a little rain today which has softened the air to my great delight – for yesterday & some previous days were dreadfully cold; & yesterday we had several snow storms accompanied by tremendous gusts of wind. – I feel very sorry that your Mother <3> & Caroline <4> should have had such an alarm about dear little William <5> & very thankful that no mischief ensued. – Something of the same sort & of nearly quite as little consequence happened to Ela <6> yesterday. – She was playing in the nursery & slipped down – but did not hurt herself (as it now appears) beyond a little strain on the muscles of her right arm. – I suppose she must have felt a slight sensation of pain where she first moved it afterwards – for she presently began to fret about it & would not be prevailed upon to use it, but kept it immoveable fixed to her side, nursing it very cautiously with her other hand – I thought there was nothing really the matter, but as she continued in the same mood after I had exhausted all my efforts to make her play with her bricks & her animals (that she is so fond of), I sent to Mr Elgie, who told me that there was nothing out of place & that she was probably only frightened. This certainly was the case – for after sleeping as usual last night, she again began to fancy her arm was very bad this morning & continued to hold it stiff half the day – At last however she happened to forget that anything was the matter, & she stretched it out for something. – & having once done so she saw the folly of her own alarms & she sat down & played with her bricks just as usual & allowed me to hold her two hands & jump [missing text] her about without any ceremony. – How strange that a timid disposition should be the sole cause of creating an evil, – & impressing it so strongly on her imagination! – I have stuck-in some of your Monkt Taurus plants – but I am sorry to say that the work was not executed with my usual neatness – for owing to the paste (which I employed for fastening the slips of paper containing the names) being I suppose a little too wet, I have sadly detrimented the leaves of the book – that is to say, they are not so smooth as they ought to be. which vexes me much – Since I began to write the rain has been falling so unceasingly, that I think I shall be forced again to put off my drive to Bath – My Sisters <7> have procured for me the first part of Miss Edgeworth’s Early lessons <8> also Mrs Banbauld’s Lessons for Children & another nice little book called ‘Easy lessons on leading things to knowledge” partly arranged by Mrs Trimman. The 2 latter have pretty little plates in them & all are nicely bound – I hope you have not chanced to fix upon any of the same in your search; if you have perhaps you might still have time to exchange them.

Your affte
Constance

Pray tell Lady Elisabeth that I received the Literary Gazette <9> & was as much pleased with the flatering [sic] critique on ‘Hermes’ <10> as she could<11> be –

H. Fox Talbot Esqre
31 Sackville Streeet
London


Notes:

1. Amélina Petit De Billier, ‘Mamie’, ‘Amandier’ (1798–1876), governess and later close friend of the Talbot family [See Amélina's journal].

2. London.

3. Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, née Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (1773–1846), WHFT’s mother.

4. Caroline Augusta Edgcumbe, née Feilding, Lady Mt Edgcumbe (1808–1881); WHFT’s half-sister.

5. William Henry Edgcumbe, ‘Val’, 4th Earl Mt Edgcumbe (1832–1917), JP & Ld Steward of the Royal Household; WHFT’s nephew ‘Bimbo’.

6. Ela Theresa Talbot (1835–1893), WHFT’s 1st daughter.

7. Laura Mundy (1805– 1 September 1842); Emily Mundy (1807– 5 November 1839); Marian Gilder, née Mundy (1806 – 14 October 1860); m. 6 August 1844 William Troward Gilder (d. 1871), Army Surgeon (ret); WHFT’s sisters-in-law.

8. Maria Edgeworth, Early lessons: in two volumes (London: J. Johnson and Co., 1815).

9. The Literary Gazette and Journal of belles lettres, science and art.

10. Hermes: or Classical and Antiquarian Researches, No. 1. (London: Longman, Orme, Green, Brown & Longman, 1838).

11. Text torn away under seal.

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