Bath
Wednesday evening
My dear Papa,
I am afraid you will have thought me very faithless in thus departing precipitately without looking in again to wish you goodbye. I fully intended it, but was busy up to the last moment, & then met Charles <1> in the Hall who said it was late.
We waited however ten minutes for the train, & who do you think we met in the train? Our amiable Bishop returning from Chippenham. <2> He had seen Mr Roach, <3> I believe, today, but of course did not mention any thing of their conversation. In his company was Mr Gardiner, vicar of B Box, who sustained a severe shaking in the railway accident the other day, but now appears to have recovered. It was his first railway journey since & he confessed to feeling nervous
I think E. will find the mince-meat receipt somewhere in her room.
I carried off Sarah Spedding’s<4> letter but will send her an extract
Your affectionate daughter
Rosamond
[envelope:]
H. F. Talbot Esqre
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Notes:
1. Charles Henry Talbot (1842–1916), antiquary & WHFT’s only son.
2. Chippenham, Wiltshire: largest town near Lacock, 3 miles N.
3. Edwin Osmond Roach (1828-1876), Irish-born Vicar of St Cyriac's, Lacock, 1870-1876; Asst Provincial Grand Chaplain, Freemason.
4. Sarah Francis Spedding (b. 1836), niece of Thomas Story Spedding.