268 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, xix 



for "a ha'porth of snuff, God bless her," as Montagu 1 

 would say, but I say it with more fervour and less 

 affectation. 



Like you I do not know whereabouts you are in our 

 history, so forgive me if I radote. Harriet [Surtees] wrote 

 lately to your aunt Sara, and doubtless told her of our plan 

 of going into Italy in August for a twelvemonth. For my 

 own part, I quit my dear little Chene and all its dumb in- 

 habitants with great pain. I hate moving, I hate travel- 

 ling, and already I have been crying over the warning I 

 have given all the servants who have been crying too. 



We are going this evening to take leave of our great 

 friend Lady Osborne, who goes to Ireland soon, and I 

 take to her a cadeau for my dear old friend Mrs Dillon. 

 It is the first handsome present I ever made (that is to say 

 handsome for my purse), and you cannot think how much 

 happiness it gives me to make it I am only afraid it will 

 never reach her. It is a chain of gold enamel, nearly 15, 

 and it is astonishingly cheap, I have seldom seen so hand- 

 some a one. My generous Sis. insists upon paying for it, 

 but then I should not feel it my gift, so he shall not have 

 that pleasure. 



In the autumn of this year Emma was three months away 

 from home, paying visits to Cresselly and elsewhere. 



Emma Wedgivood to her aunt Madame Sismondi. 



MAER, Nov. 29 [1835]. 



. . . Aunt Fanny was in charming spirits and conversation, 

 which was a fresh pleasure to me every day, especially in 

 our walks, and she used to curl her hair with me. I liked 

 renewing my recollections of Tenby, and it looked as bright 

 and pretty as it used to when I was a child. 



A Miss X. of this country is making a great noise in the 



1 Basil Montagu (1770 1851), natural son of John Montagu, 

 4th Earl of Sandwich, was a friend of Coleridge, Mackintosh, etc. 

 He had tried to marry Sarah Wedgwood, it was always supposed 

 for her money, but at what date does not appear. 



