122 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, ix 



views " which they talk of in this history. He seems to me 

 to have the same that Fox and Mackintosh had in their 

 fragments. If M. had finished his history, I am sure I should 

 have preferred it, and W. Clifford says the same of Fox. . . . 

 As I shall be on the right side of the gulf, I shall certainly 

 see you this summer, dear Emma. I fear Tenby is too far 

 for you to venture from Charles and the children. It would 

 keep you anxious, and that neither of us could bear to see 

 you. My very kind love to Charles, who I think w T ill get 

 better as we are coming to a pleasanter time of year. God 

 bless you, dearest E., may everything go as smooth with 



you, as in your own mind. Yours tenderly, 



F. ALLEN. 



At the end my mother wrote : " Send me back this nice 

 letter and don't think I take it all for granted either for self 

 or children." 



I was now six years old, but my memory is not a good 

 one for events long ago, and I remember but little of the 

 daily life. My impression is that, except for the visits from 

 relations, and the almost daily calls on aunt Sarah, and 

 intercourse with the poor people, my mother was entirely 

 wrapped up in my father and in the children. One 

 memory of my childish days comes back to me as 

 illustrating her calm indulgence. I was very fond of 

 dressing up, especially when my cousin Hope was with 

 us. Our plan was to ask my mother for the key of 

 her jewel box a simple wooden box in which her jewels, 

 pearls and all, rattled about loose, with no cotton- wool to 

 protect them. The key, too, worked badly, and we had to 

 shake and bang the box violently to get in. Then we locked 

 her bedroom doors to prevent the maids coming in and 

 laughing at us, took out of the wardrobe her long skirts 

 and pinned them round our waists. Out of her lace draw r er, 

 we fitted up our bodies with lace fallals, put on the jewels, 

 and then peacocked about the room trailing the silks and 

 satins on the floor. A favourite costume was a silver-grey 

 moire-antique. When we had done we hung up the gowns, 

 put back the lace, and locked up the jewels, and returned the 

 key, but she never looked to see whether the two little girls 

 had lost or damaged any of the jewels, and, to our credit 

 be it said, we never did. 



In the spring of 1849 it was decided to give the water- 



