32 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, in 



Jessie Allen to her sister Mrs Josiah Wedgwood. 



GBEAT GEORGE STREET, July 5 [1813]. 



... I have wanted to write to you for several days but 

 have been too busy. We began the job of arranging the 

 books 1 on Tuesday, and found it so much a heavier task 

 than we expected, that it kept us hard at work till Saturday 

 night, not rinding leisure even for a walk, and is not 

 finished at last; and what is, so ill done that I am sure 

 Mackintosh will not let it stand. Our labours have been 

 something like the Spanish war, constantly at work but for 

 no useful or happy purpose. 



In the last happy eight months I have passed with you, 

 dearest Bessy, I have so much to thank you for that I 

 know not where to begin or end. I must take refuge in 

 seeming ungrateful, and saying nothing tho' I have felt 

 it at my heart's core. After you left us Kitty gave me 

 your present for flowers. I have chosen some of the most 

 beautiful that ever was seen. I used to hate myself a la 

 Flore ; if I become fantastic the sin is yours. Certainly I 

 never admired myself so much as when I wore your chaplet 

 on Wednesday at Mrs Philipps's party. Lady Romilly 

 told me she could not take her eyes from my head the 

 whole evening, my flowers were so beautiful. 



Mme de Stael dined with the Phillipps's, and went off from 

 table to dress herself and daughter for the Prince's fete. 

 She was to have a private presentation to the Queen at 

 nine o'clock, unluckily for us, as that hurried her away 

 sooner than she otherwise would have gone. We had 

 however a very agreeable evening, conversing a great deal 

 with Mr Wishaw and Charles Grant 2 more quietly and 

 longer than one generally does at a rout. The former told 

 us he had dined the preceding Sunday at Mr Pigou's, where 

 Mme de Stael made several of her most eloquent harangues, 

 and he had never been a more delighted listener It is her 



1 Mrs Godfrey Wedgwood, Sir James Mackintosh's grand- 

 daughter, says these books were three deep in their shelves. 



2 Afterwards Lord Glenelg. 



