righton, much to
the benefit of my poor, dear husband, whom you have never seen, but
who knows you well by name, and have everything, even the weather,
all we can wish. The only drawback to me is the loss of your
charming society and the absence of your dear, merry face.

"I am leading a highly virtuous and praiseworthy life, and have not
done the least bit of mischief since I came here, except making the
Dean's wife jealous, which I can hardly call a crime, as she is a
vulgar little woman with a red nose and a yellow bonnet--the Dean
is a fat, good-natured man, and calls here nearly every day. His
wife abuses me in all societies, and tries to pass me without
speaking. You know how I always return good for evil, so I go up and
shake hands with her, and ask after her dear children, and patronize
her till I make her so angry she don't know which way to look--it's
rather good fun in such a slow place as this. My time is fully
occupied nursing 'my old man,' who was very ill before we came here,
and can only go out in a pony-carriage for an hour or two at a time;
so I have brought the ponies down and drive him myself.

"The only chance the brown mare has of a gallop is in the mornings,
though next week I mean to have a day with the harriers; indeed,
they have appointed them at a good place on purpose for me. I
inspected the regiment of Dragoons quartered here yesterday morning;
they were at exercise on the Downs, and as the Gitana (my brown
mare) always behaves well with troops, which my enemies would affirm
is more than can be said of her mistress, I am able to report upon
their general appearance and efficiency. Such a set of 'gigs,' my
dear, I never saw in my life; large underbred horses, and not a
good-looking man amongst them. The officers are, if possible, more
hideous than the privates; and they never give balls or theatricals
or anything, so we need waste no more words upon them.

"I am improving my mind, though, vastly, picking up shells for my
little cousins, and perfecting my education besides by learning to
swim. I wish you were here--what fun we would have enacting the
part of mermaids! though I fear the cold will now put a stop to my
aquatic exploits. The other morning I swam nearly two hundred yards
on a stretch; and the tide having taken me out of my reckoning, I
brought up, as the sailors say, opposite the gentlemen's
bathing-machin