1860-1869] Fanny Allen s Politics 193 



better for me. I could not get up an " entertainment ' 

 if I were to try, but I will give you a good selection of 

 books, even some heretical ones, and I will try to give you 

 a more just opinion of my political hero John Bright 

 I was in great fear when I opened the Star this morning 

 and saw the list, and did not catch the name I wanted to 

 see as Cabinet Minister, that Gladstone had forsworn faith 

 and gratitude and left him out; but I was soon relieved 

 from this fear, and I shall hope that the master spirit of 

 England will find its place even in that den. I am sorry 

 that Beale is not in Parliament, but I hope he may still do 

 better work out of it for bringing in the ballot. I will not 

 frighten you with more now. 



You seem to have a very disturbed church at Down, 

 and you had better call in Mr Gladstone to disendow it. 

 Give my choicest love to your mother and father, and 

 thanks, with best love to yourself, my dear little one, for 

 thinking of me. Elizabeth cannot find envelopes enough 

 in her box and my drawer for the eager demands " imme- 

 diate " of her clients for help. 



Affectionately yours, 



F. ALLEN. 



This was the only time I ever stayed with my great- 

 aunt at Tenby. I remember her a little old lady, upright, 

 and so strong that she would stand for an hour before the 

 fire reading the newspaper. Her talk was full of vigour 

 and point. I have an inscription in a copy of Burns she 

 gave me to wean me from " Mr Tennyson there's sarcasm 

 for you." We dined I believe at 5 o'clock. I had luncheon 

 of some kind, but she took nothing between breakfast and 

 dinner. I may mention that these dinners were extremely 

 good. Her cook, Betsy, had nominally the wage of 12 a 

 year. She had at one time asked for a rise in her wages, 

 but Aunt Fanny had decisively said she had never given 

 more than 12 and she never would, Betsy might go. 

 But her nieces Elizabeth Wedgwood and Fanny Hensleigh 

 Wedgwood were determined their Aunt Fanny should not 

 lose so good a servant, and quite privately paid Betsy 

 such a sum as would raise her wages to what was then 

 usual. This was kept a secret from Aunt Fanny till her 



