Y.

KING STREET, Friday, February 28th.
DEAR HAL,

... I got through Desdemona very well, as far as my personal safety was
concerned; for though I fell on the stage in real hysterics at the end
of one of those horrible scenes with Othello, Macready was more
considerate than I had expected, did not rebreak my little finger, and
did not really smother me in bed. I played the part fairly well, and
wish you had seen it. I was tolerably satisfied with it myself, which,
you know, I am not often, with my own theatrical performances....

Faith in God, according to my understanding of it, my dearest Hal,
implies faith in man; and have we not good need of both just now? You
can well imagine the state of perturbation and excitement London is in
with these Parisian events. The universal cry and question is, "What is
the news?" People run from house to house to gather the latest
intelligence. The streets are filled with bawling paper-vendors, amidst
whose indistinct vociferations the attractively appalling words,
"Revolution! Republic! Massacre! Bloodshed!" are alone distinguishable.
The loss of Saturday night's packet between Calais and Dover, besides
the horror of the event itself, is doubly distressing from the intense
anxiety felt to receive intelligence of how matters are going on.

Thus far yesterday, dear Hal; but as every hour brings intelligence that
contradicts that of the hour before, it is now known that the small
boat, going from the shore to the packet, was capsized and lost, and not
the steamer itself. Henry Greville belongs to the party of Terrorists,
and believes the worst of the worst rumors: but I have just seen his
mother, and Lady Charlotte says that Charles is almost enthusiastic in
his admiration of the conduct of the French people _hitherto_; but then
there is never any knowing exactly how long any fashion, frenzied or
temperate, moral or material, may last in France.

In the mean time, the condition of that unfortunate Royal Family is
worthy of all compassion, especially the women, who are involved in the
retributions of the folly or wickedness of the men they belong to.

It is not known where the Duchesse de Nemours is. Her husband has
arrived safely here with one of the children; but neither he nor any one
else knows what has become of his wife and the other two children. Of
the Duchesse d'Orleans and her two babies nothing is known; and Lady
Normanby wrote a le