1847-1848] The Nightingales at Embley in 



for a man worthy of her ! but I am not sure I yet know the 

 mate fit for her. I never saw a more enviable talent of 

 drawing than that which Hilary Carter and Part he have. 

 Everything that catches their eye as beautiful, either in 

 form or colour, they sketch or colour with inconceivable 

 rapidity, and their pencil or colour box is always at hand. 

 ... I came up here yesterday with Mr Eyre, a neighbour 

 of the Nightingales, and had much conversation with him 

 on the beau monde topics. He proposed the coupe for us to 

 go in, and it is by far the most agreeable seat in the train, 

 so pray choose it the next time you go. You hear much 

 better too, so that sometimes you may gain a good deal and 

 sometimes lose, as it may be. Yesterday I gained something 

 of the high world talk. Mr Eyre is an intimate of Sydney 

 Herbert and detailed the course of his marriage and the 

 loosening of the tie between him and Mrs Norton, who 

 behaved very well on the occasion and assured him when he 

 married she would never cross his path. She went to Ireland 

 before the marriage took place. Mr Eyre gave some very 

 sensible opinions on marriage. I could not help smiling 

 when I thought how intimate we had got, and we parted 

 affectionately. Our marriage conversation was apropos to 

 the difficulty the two N.'s would have in finding any one 

 they would like well enough to forsake such a home. . . . 



Fanny Allen to her niece Elizabeth Wedgwood. 



42, CHESTER TERRACE, 

 MY DEAR ELIZABETH, 8unda V Evenin 9 [28 Nov " 1847] ' 



I was sorry to miss your parting kiss and farewell on 

 Wednesday, but when I came down the stairs I had not a 

 minute to lose, so I left you without being able to say the 

 only disagreeable word I can ever imagine saying to you. 

 My dinner at Alderson's was rather dull and heavy. We 

 were a party of 14, and our 3 best men made but bad talkers 

 that day. Alderson was so much occupied with carving 

 that I did not hear him speak, and the time of dinner was 



