Lacock Abbey
Monday July 4 –

Dearest Henry

You were very good indeed to remember my request about hearing of your safe arrival as soon as possible – You never were so very good before, & deserve quantities of thanks for it – Pray take every possible care of yourself & do not overexert by walking or anything else, for the heat this morning is quite tremendous – Yesterday & Saturday were not nearly so hot as Friday (the day you went away) but today the power of the Sun is very great, with scarcely a breath of air to moderate his heats – Ela ^<1> felt so tired with it yesterday, that she actually dropt asleep in my arms when I was carrying her in the garden at Clifford’s ^<2> church-time. – She is to leave off her cap today in consideration of the heat – for it is useless to wait till all her teeth are come through; & after rubbing her head with brandy as a precautionary measure, we think there can be no fear of catching cold. – I shall also desire that she shall be kept out of draughts & currents of air – The dear child is continually asking for you & it is in vain that I endeavour to explain to her the nature of absence – She knows that you must be somewhere, & she thinks that by wandering about the house looking for you, she shall certainly find you at last – She played as usual in your Library yesterday; pulling down the books &c &c – and she was very much disappointed on finding that you had locked the door of the little inner room; & thus put a stop to her diversion of walking up & down the steps. – I have been arranging with her to send a message to Papa, to which she gave her assent thus. – ‘Shall I send Ela’s love to Papa? – ‘Ta’ – & say she want to know how he is? – ‘Ta’ – & say that Ela is quite well? – ‘Ta’ – I could not help laughing at the apparent sense of her answers, which were as appropriate as if she had understood every word w^h I said. – Do bring with you a little Rose pomatum to make her hair curl; & a very wee pot of Pomade-divine to cure the bruises which she must inevitably receive on her first attempts at walking alone – Also please to bring for me a very thick pair of gloves for gardening in – you know exactly what they ought to be for that purpose – so thick that neither dust nor moisture may penetrate them. – If you should see D^r Lindley ^<3> I hope you will ask him about employing Miss Cotton as a flower-painter – premising of course that the subject has never been mentioned to her & that you do not know whether she would like the employment – I do not think she has any knowledge of Botany, but she copies faithfully whatever she sees in her subject – On Wednesday I propose to send you a packet through M^r Strangways ^<4> containing two letters to be franked – so if you do not receive them in reasonable time on Thursday, I recommend you to send to his house for them, lest they should be lost – I have had a very nice letter today from Southampton – one page of it written by dear Marian ^<5> herself – with a pencil she can manage to write a little occasionally without leaving her Sofa – this hot weather seems to agree with her – probably by promoting a more regular circulation of the blood, for at the time that I was with her she suffered extremely from torpor, & numbness in her limbs – Today they were to go over to Ryde by the Steamer, but propose to remain there only a few days – I hope, if they find that Marian derives benefit from the change, that they will not hurry back again quite so soon. – They still entertain the idea of being in Town at or about the expiration of the 3 weeks which they mentioned in the last letter, & which would be a fortnight from this time – I have the very greatest comfort in thinking that Marian is now really making progress – she was out in the carriage three times last week & enjoyed the air extremely. –

What a charming family party you must have formed on Saturday! I should really have liked to have been one of the happy number – Poor Fitzsimmons ^<6> was woefully cast down-cast on Friday evening after your conversation with him; & when I met him in the greenhouse he poured forth many expressions of devotedness to your interests, & of readiness to depart the moment you gave the word – I was rather amazed at his energetic manner, & thought he was a little beside himself – however he said nothing but what was perfectly natural & proper, & we ended by laying out a new flower bed in my garden in the shape of a star with six points, to contain Pelargoniums &c &c –

I am very glad to hear that Horatia ^<7> is better – my love to her –

Here is a long Letter in reply to your short one – Pray write to me again when you have time – & remember ta to add my new commissions to your list – I am very fearful that you should come to harm by galopping [sic] in the heat of the Sun – promise me not to do so –

Y^r affec^te
Constance

An ignoble-looking letter has been left for you at the lodge – I will cause it to be sent in the Basket tomorrow. Another Rev^d party came on Sat-mor^g before ten o’clock with an earnest request to see the Hall & the Cloisters – As you were absent, of course I gave permission –

Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
31. Sackville Street
London

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Notes:

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

2. Lady’s maid and nurse.

3. Prof John Lindley (1799–1865), botanist.

4. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4^th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.

5. Her sister, Marian Gilder, née Mundy (1806 – 14 October 1860); m. 6 August 1844 William Troward Gilder (d. 1871), Army Surgeon (ret).

6. Cornelius Fitzsimmons, Scottish gardener at Lacock Abbey.

7. Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810–1851), WHFT’s half-sister.