I trust my arrival will
shortly follow. Let me find a letter from you at Portsmouth. I
depend on your being ready to set off as soon as you hear the
Orion is there. The post will arrive sufficiently early to allow
of your leaving Bath the same day. I may possibly be able to
meet you on the road, as I shall have had time to despatch
Monsieur le Duc d'Havre (who is a very polite Frenchman) and to
make arrangements against our return. I think it right to
mention that unless the wind admits the ships getting over the
Bar of Lisbon, I may be detained. But I hope for a quick
passage.

"Sunday, November 25th, Spithead.--I wrote to you, this morning, from
St. Helens. The happy moment is at length arrived when I can despatch
a letter from Spithead. Yours of yesterday is in my hand. To-morrow
you will be setting off; but I fear the service will prevent our
meeting till the day after.

"I have despatched Dumaresq to Newport for our dear boy; and I depend
on seeing him to-night. _Le Duc est empresse de le voir._ I hope to
get the party on shore, _de bonne heure_, to-morrow: but we are still
in quarantine whilst I am making these arrangements.

"Tuesday morning.--Great is my disappointment at being kept thus long
in quarantine: it is a cruel _contre temps_, and the more so from its
being unforeseen. What adds to my disappointment is, that I am at a
loss to know if our _pratique_ has been received by this day's post,
the weather having prevented all communication with the shore. It will
rejoice you to learn that our beloved boy has been with me since ten,
yesterday morning, and that I find him all you have described. I
expect to hear every moment of your arrival at the Fountain. Mr.
Maxwell writes there is no doubt of our being released to-morrow.

"One o'clock.--If our _pratique_ is not received by this post, request
Sir Peter to set the telegraph at work, now that the weather has
cleared up. 8 P.M. Your letter has this instant reached me. The
tidings of your arrival have relieved my mind from great inquietude.
The messenger has orders to wait your commands until after the post
hour to-morrow; and if we are not then admitted to the privileges of
_Christian charity_ after our _Egyptian bondage_, we must _endeavour_
to submit to our fate. James is by my side, and glows with
thankfulness at being so soon likely to embrace his beloved mamma. He
has indeed been a real comfort to me under this sad contra