[1]

11 Marine Parade

Down,

Beckenham, Kent.

Railway Station

Orpington, S.E.R.

Eastbourne.

Wed. Sep 27 (82)

My dear George,

I will answer your letter to Frank — We are very comf. here & Hen. & Bessy with me R. joins us on Sat. so that tho' it wd be nice to have you here, we do not in the least want you, & I am sure you had rather

[2]

take your outing & rest at Down ─ Frank hopes to get to Aberdovey on the 6th as Mrs Ruck is not well yet & from home till that day —

This place is very superior to Hastings &c & there is a mag. tide this mg & crowd of children running the gauntlet just as they used to do. The waves came clapping like guns. One gets to the sea immediately & there is a stone beach all the way along. I made out our old houses

[3]

which look older than ever. There are 3 grand Hotels & many new streets all with boulevards wh. look pretty; only they have planted elms wh. are so dingy — If I get a spurt here I hope to be home in a week's time, if not I may stay another week, but I hope not. A lovely day & feeling quite hot— I was in hopes to have heard of poor Hemmings death; but he lingers on, with m. less suffering however — It was terrible at first — pain & sickness —

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We have made up our minds not to fix a day for leaving Down; but to stay on into Nov. if it is more convenient.

It was a great drawback your seeing nothing of Lady Thomson — I am glad you got satisfac. talks w Sir W. Please to pass this on to Horace & Ida & thank him for being so kind as to write. I want him to settle my mind about a mowing machine as ours has utterly struck work & we borrow Mr Goode's—

[from p. 1:] yours my dear G ─

E. D ─