the roads in excellent order,
had very good horses all the way, and reached
Devizes with ease by four o'clock. I suppose John
has told you in what manner we were divided when
we left Andover, and no alteration was afterwards
made. At Devizes we had comfortable rooms and a
good dinner, to which we sat down about five;
amongst other things we had asparagus and a
lobster, which made me wish for you, and some
cheesecakes, on which the children[100] made so
delightful a supper as to endear the town of
Devizes to them for a long time.

Well, here we are at Bath; we got here about one
o'clock, and have been arrived just long enough to
go over the house, fix on our rooms, and be very
well pleased with the whole of it. Poor Elizabeth
has had a dismal ride of it from Devizes, for it
has rained almost all the way, and our first view
of Bath has been just as gloomy as it was last
November twelvemonth.

I have got so many things to say, so many things
equally important, that I know not on which to
decide at present, and shall therefore go and eat
with the children.

We stopped in Paragon as we came along, but as it
was too wet and dirty for us to get out, we could
only see Frank, who told us that his master was
very indifferent, but had had a better night last
night than usual.

* * * * *

We are exceedingly pleased with the house; the
rooms are quite as large as we expected. Mrs.
Bromley is a fat woman in mourning, and a little
black kitten runs about the staircase. Elizabeth
has the apartment within the drawing-room; she
wanted my mother to have it, but as there was no
bed in the inner one, and the stairs are so much
easier of ascent, or my mother so much stronger
than in Paragon as not to regard the double
flight, it is settled for us to be above, where we
have two very nice-sized rooms, with dirty quilts
and everything comfortable. I have the outward and
larger apartment, as I ought to have; which is
quite as large as our bed-room at home, and my
mother's is not ma