Venice September 3^d 1868.

My dear Henry

Thanks for the letter of credit received this morning – also for your own letter of Aug 28^th which I received Tuesday – Since the closing of M^t Cenis, our English letters are delivered at breakfast time; but being stamped at the Post office one day earlier, I suppose they reach Venice too late in the evening for delivery that day – Similarly our letters to you bear an older date than that on which they leave Venice; as I am told that whatever we write today, remains in the letter box till an early hour tomorrow morning. You reason correctly about our having no time for the Lake of Como between this & Pisa – but I think I said in my first letter that we should probably not move from Venice, until it was time to progress towards our winter destination – In fact the Doctor forbad my taking any unnecessary journey – especially as the air of Venice agreed so well – and we all liked our séjour here – The weather continues as perfectly enjoyable as I described it in my last. – Our daily thunderstorms have ceased – and we are not at all too hot.

We have not fixed our day of departure – perhaps it may be towards the end of next week – but you shall hear when we know ourselves – And at any rate you may safely continue to write here: as we shall only go as far as Padova for our first move – & spend some days there – and we know our letters will be carefully forwarded by the proprietor of this hôtel – Pray explain to me why the money drawn on the Bankers here is made payable in London at one Month’s sight? – Does it make any difference to you whether these sums are drawn payable at sight or otherwise? – At San Remo the Banker asked me how I wished the cheque expressed, & I allowed him to draw it ‘à vue’: – not understanding whom I was favouring thereby; & having had no instructions from you on that point. – Pray do not give yourself the trouble of forwarding any more letters from M^rs Vardon – as she only writes to thank me for vegetables and preserves – which our people at Lacock have instructions to send her from time to time – I hope the little note which Ela asked you (in her letter of Sunday) to forward to M^rs Vardon, will have the effect of closing the correspondence for awhile – you were very kind in answering her last letter yourself, and indeed it was quite necessary to extinguish her wish of paying us a morning visit at Lacock Abbey! –

If Goodwin should not succeed in finding the foreign letter paper & envelopes which you stand in so much need of, pray let him buy some for you at Austin’s (the Lacock Post office) – and some envelopes for ordinary use – as I am sorry to see that you are reduced to the expedient of enclosing your letters in a whole sheet of note paper! Goodwin would take such care to have everything comfortable about you, if you would let him.

Your affectionate
Constance.

[envelope:]
Angleterre
H. F. Talbot Esq^re.
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham.