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Feb. 6. 1882.

DOWN,

BECKENHAM, KENT

RAILWAY STATION

ORPINGTON. S.E.R.

My dear George

We settled after all that it would be no use to write to St Thomas, as your ship wd be the first there. We have had perfectly still day since you went & I think you must have begun prosperously & have felt able to lie still & rest which I think is what you want now ─ Since the Diceys went we have had frantic telegrams about a suit of clothes supposed to be left her; but Jackson

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had certainly packed them in a Gladstone bag not locked; so it shd be a warm. The thief had judiciously picked out quite a new frock coat ─ Frank seems to think that Albert's ordinary clothes might have travelled safely in any unprotected state ─ On Friday Fr & Bessy dined at the Tomkins. She had the Major at dinner, & also afterwards & she was rather tired of him, as he was not silent even during the music ─

On Saturday mg. (a beaut. day

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Bessy & I went to the wedding w. Bernard on the box —

The village full of flags & scarlet mottoes. On Friday Amy Mul. & a Miss Buxton called & wished goodbye for Conny — who was sick in bed & Sir John v. bad with gout — all which Amy took most cheerfully — However Sir John managed to hop into the church —

Mr Ff.[Ffinden]  adjusted a grand handsome looking man Uncle of the B.groom (who looked less unbecoming than I expected) who gave them rather a long address after the ceremony,

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very well done, but wh. they must have wished well over; & he entirely overset poor Sir J by an allusion to poor Lady L wh. was ill-judged —

My present was a Japanese screen something like yours but not so handsome — Conny writes a most gracious note from Tunbridge where they are gone — Leo has had another offer less tempting still — viz. to spend 12 months at one spot within the Arctic circle to make mag-observations. He is going to send his horse this week if Horace wd like it to ride w. Frank — whose horse is a success I think —

[from p. 1:] Leo went this m. to a meet on Sat ─ too much for a man who rides so little ─ Goodbye my dear old man we shall be anxious for your first letter ─ after all I will send a card to St Thomas