nd dear place, to our great regret, to-morrow; to-morrow night
and part of Thursday we spend at Addleston with my brother; then we
remain in town till Monday, when we go to the Hoo (Lord Dacre's); then
we return to town, and afterwards proceed to Mrs. Arkwright's at Sutton,
and then to the Francis Egertons', at Worsley; and after that we set off
for Germany, where we think of remaining till the end of September.
Adelaide's engagement at Covent Garden begins in November, when you must
come and assist in bringing her out properly. God bless you, dear. Give
my love to Dorothy, and believe me

Ever affectionately yours,
FANNY.

THE HOO, Wednesday, July 28th, 1841.
DEAREST HARRIET,

I wrote you a long letter yesterday, which was no sooner finished than I
tore it up.... We came down to this place yesterday. I obtained Lady
Dacre's leave to bring my sister, and of course I have my children with
me, so we are here in great force. Independently of my long regard for
and gratitude to Lord and Lady Dacre, which made me glad to visit them,
I like this old place, and find it pleasant, though it has no
pretensions to be a fine one. Some part of the offices is Saxon, of an
early date, old enough to be interesting. The house itself, however, is
comparatively modern: it is a square building, and formerly enclosed a
large courtyard, but in later days the open space has been filled up
with a fine oak staircase (roofed in with a skylight), the carving of
which is old and curious and picturesque. The park is not large, but has
some noble trees, which you would delight in; the flower-garden, stolen
from a charming old wood (some of the large trees of which are coaxed
into its boundaries), is a lovely little strip of velvet lawn, dotted
all over with flower-beds, like large nosegays dropped on the turf; and
the rough, whitey-brown, weather-beaten stone of the house is covered
nearly to the top windows with honeysuckle and jasmine. It is not at all
like what is called a fine place; it is not even as pretty and cheerful
as Bannisters: but it has an air of ancient stability and dignity,
without pretension or ostentation, that is very agreeable....

We left my father tolerably well in health, but a good deal shaken in
spirits.... I am expected downstairs, to read to them in the
drawing-room something from Shakes