Marseille – Hotel des Londre & la Paix
Friday October 25th 1867
My dear Henry
You had the whole history of our proceedings as far as Geneva, from Rosamond, who wrote to you on Friday the 18th. The number of letters which met us there after a somewhat disjointed correspondence, was very pleasant. And I was so lucky as to get your 2 to Geneva, (of Oct 16th) on the same Friday, a few hours after R’s letter was posted, – but as I had occasion to write to Goodwin about our poor old Pussy, I asked him to mentioned to you that I had just received your letter. It was a pity our Geneva portion of the programme being so completely spoiled by the weather: and the excessively high charge for Apartments made it impossible to wait for the chance of its taking up. Next day was very gloomy when we started for Lyon: – but it improved sufficiently to set off those beautiful woods & narrow gorges which struck you so much as you passed through the country a few weeks earlier. I should have liked to have seen the vintage in full process of gathering in, but we were too late for that, and the vines looked brown & shrivelled up – Sunday the 20th at Lyon was rainy in the morning, but it cleared up late & was very pleasant & warm – Monday was bright, with a cold North west wind, which they had at Avignon, quite a hurricane. But only think how lucky we were ourselves, to have missed it by sleeping a 3d night at Lyon – We had a fine travelling day Tuesday – and such lovely weather on Wednesday at Avignon, you have no idea of the great enjoyment it was – We seem to have plunged at once into a 2d Summer – Such a change from the snow at Berne! – I have no doubt however that you have the same fine weather at Lacock, though perhaps not quite so hot, and I cannot help half regretting that we hurried over the Lake of Geneva, where I am sure it must also be very fine at present.
As it is, we shall scarcely be later at S. Remo than the time originally named, but if we like we can prolong our stay at any of the places on our route. – We are staying at Marseille till Sunday morning, almost as a matter of necessity: as we could neither shop, nor wash at Geneva. But I don’t like these monster Hotels, – where the attendance is necessarily bad, and the street noises rather annoying – There is also a dreadful knocking of workmen proceeding from some invisible quarter, but, too near to be pleasant. However we shall tide over this, by dining out as much as possible; for there is much to interest in this fine City. We propose to return to our first idea, & visit Hyères, as the weather is again so fine (for we had thought of giving it up, when it rained). – and Bayer wishes me to take out the remaining £50ּ on the letter of credit. I know that he has a reserve of his own, if it becomes necessary to draw upon him – but I shall at any rate require a loan from Mlle Amélina, similarly as she assisted me at Berne, & which I repaid her on reaching Lausanne – It will be needful that you should get another letter of credit on Coutts, and send me as soon as you can after the rent day in November, – and I will let you know from S. Remo the amount of arrears. Bayer had a civil letter from the Hotel Victoria, to say we might please ourselves as to the week for being there, and that our Month’s engagement of the apartment will be understood to date from the day of our taking possession: we giving a few days notice to enable them to lay in provisions. We expect to be at Cannes on Tuesday the 29th & some one of us will write to you from thence. We are hoping also to find letters from yourself & Tilly awaiting us there. – and to find news from Goodwin about our Pussy. Was it not unkind in Rosy to turn her off in that way? and without giving us notice & receiving instructions about her. I wrote from Geneva for the chance of my letter reaching Edinburgh in time, to beg she would take her as far as London herself, & send her to Lacock from thence, in her basket, directed to Goodwin. I also wrote to Gray at 13 Great Stuart Street; and if she has really been left there, I want you to arrange when you are at Dabton, for Goodwin to go on to Edinburgh & fetch her away to L Abbey. – Or probably you may intend to pass through Edinburgh yourself, if you want to speak to Mushet concerning the letting of the House, and that would make the thing very easy for recovering our poor Puss – for of course she ought not to be left there when the House is let. – I have not much of interest to tell you, as you will observe: for the railway often makes it difficult to see much of the country – and I believe we passed a very interesting district in the dark yesterday, after reaching the ilang de Berre – Specially about the tunnel de la Nerthe, as we learn by an excellent guide book we picked up at Avignon (the Guide – <Joanne?> de Lyon à la Mediteranée) – So now good bye, dear Henry: we are all pretty well, though at first a little upset by the sudden change from snow to tropical sunshine –
Love from all –
Your affectionate
Constance