her. She appears either as "your aunt" or as
"She"; her name is not given, but she is evidently looked upon with a
good deal of awe by all who had to do with her.

The letters almost all of them relate to visits either of the aunt to
London, or of the nieces to the aunt's home, which, from occasional
allusions to hopping, I gather to have been in Kent, Sussex, or Surrey. I
have arranged them to the best of my power, and take the following to be
the earliest. It has no signature, but is not in the handwriting of the
servant who styles herself Elizabeth, or Mrs. Newton. It runs:--

"MADAM,--Your Aunt Wishes me to inform you she will be glad if you
will let hir know if you think of coming To hir House thiss month or
Next as she cannot have you in September on a kount of the Hoping If
you ar coming she thinkes she had batter Go to London on the Day you
com to hir House the says you shall have everry Thing raddy for you at
hir House and Mrs. Newton to meet you and stay with you till She
returnes a gann.

"if you arnot Coming thiss Summer She will be in London before thiss
Month is out and will Sleep on the Sofy As She willnot be in London
more thann two nits. and She Says she willnot truble you on anny a
kount as She Will returne the Same Day before She will plage you anny
more. but She thanks you for asking hir to London. but She says She
cannot leve the house at prassant She sayhir Survants ar to do for you
as she cannot lodge yours nor she willnot have thim in at the house
anny more to brake and destroy hir thinks and beslive hir and make up
Lies by hir and Skandel as your too did She says she mens to pay fore
2 Nits and one day, She says the Pepelwill let hir have it if you ask
thim to let hir: you Will be so good as to let hir know sun: wish She
is to do, as She says She dos not care anny thing a bout it. which way
tiss she is batter than She was and desirs hir Love to bouth bouth.

"Your aunt wises to know how the silk Clocks ar madup [how the silk
cloaks are made up] with a Cape or a wood as she is a goin to have one
madeup to rideout in in hir littel shas [chaise].

"Charles is a butty and so good.

"Mr & Mrs Newton ar quite wall & desires to be remembered to you."

I can throw no light on the meaning of the verb to "beslive." Each
letter in the MS. is so admirably formed that there can be no question
about the word being as I have