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Wednesday

[11 December 1861]

Dear William- I hope you will come on the 21st as the little dancing mistress comes on the 26th. I suppose you will only be able to stay a Sunday, We have got Eva now staying, she is so awfully come on in

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talkativeness. Emily Thorley is staying here too─ We all ride the pony turn & turn, & work him plentifully─

I suppose you have heard we have got horses at last, a grey & a bay. They grey very pretty indeed, & both very quiet. So you think

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you shall go & see Fechter in Othello, I went when I was in London, & fell much in love, though I don't think he acts everything perfectly, the scenes of passion he fails a little in.

Poor Effie is still very weak, as so as only to be able to sit up

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for half an hour. Now they are nearly sure it is not scarlet fever. Rose, Mab & Pencon are gone into lodgings. Rose is still going on with Bella Donna, & I believe her pupils are enormous, it will be a blessing if they are not permanently injured─ This is such

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lovely weather we still play croquet, every day it is very odd thing Horace has quite lost the art of playing, & plays worse than any of us. Mr & Mrs Innes have just been here, for a few days, before going off to Scotland.

Goodbye yr affect H. E. D.

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Papa has got Mr Sowerby here to finish up his tiresome orchids, there is bad news about a cabinet for George, he says it is such a rare thing for a second hand one to be on sale, & can't hear of one anywhere. Papa hasn't been very well lately, but Mamma much better