244 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, xvn 



sort of thing for commoner occasions, and that is all she 

 means to get, except a white muslin. 



When they came back they found Dr Holland drinking 

 tea here, and he paid his congratulations to Charlotte with 

 great tendresse. He looked wearied at Sir James, who was 

 certainly very tiresome to him, and never would listen to 

 him or let him finish what he was saying. 



In the morning Mr Langton had taken Charlotte to 

 Ho well and James' and made her choose presents for him to 

 give us, a beautiful gold pencil-case for Fanny, and a very 

 pretty ring for me; so Charlotte knew our different weak- 

 nesses very well. Mrs Rich and Miss Car dale were going 

 to the Ventilator, and as there was a spare place I went 

 with them. We arrived unluckily too late to hear Spencer 

 Percival's furious speech for a general fast. 1 We came in 

 for the tail of Lord Althorp's, which we could not hear. 

 Several people were coughed down who supported Mr 

 Percival, and there was a good deal of impatience during 

 his second speech, which made Mrs Rich think the whole 

 house in such a dreadful state of impiety and rebellion 

 against God that she was crying bitterly most of the time. 

 As soon as Mr Percival had withdrawn his motion he came 

 up to his wife who was in the Ventilator and talked to Mrs 

 Rich, and I was very much pleased with the good-humour 

 and mildness of his manner just after hearing such a violent 

 speech from him. I heard him saying that he had been 

 very well listened to, but that he felt so completely that the 

 whole House was against him that it was as if he was talking 

 against a stone wall. 



After we had put Miss Cardale home Mrs Rich talked 

 to me about the tongues. The youngest Miss Cardale is 

 often heard in her own room talking the tongues and making 

 religious exclamations. 2 She is got to look very much worn 



1 The general fast was to be for the cholera, which was then 

 raging. It was the first appearance of the disease in England. 



2 These religious exclamations, and the repetitions spoken of in 

 the next letter, were much associated with the speaking in " un- 

 known tongues," and were in both cases thought to be the direct 

 result of some divine influence. 



