84 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, vi 



more charming. There is something so delightfully fresh 

 in her hilarity, and she is so willing and able to contribute 

 her share to enrich society, that I think her very nearly the 

 most agreeable woman I know. Yet I should rank her 

 character under Jenny's. She has not her tenderness. 

 There is more locality in her feelings, and she is more taken 

 up with her own views and concerns, but she is more agree- 

 able where both are so agreeable. 



I enjoyed my fortnight at Bath very much. Kitty 

 [Wedgwood] was our housekeeper, and a busy time she 

 had with us, for we were a pretty round party when we 

 were joined by the Darwins. The more you can penetrate 

 through the reserve of Kitty's character, the more you will 

 see the beauty of it. Poor Sarah 1 was a good deal un- 

 hinged by Henry Swinney's appearance among us, but 

 now her troubles are at an end, I think she is enjoying 

 herself very much. I was exceedingly taken with Henry 

 Swinney, there was something so good-natured, and simple, 

 and unaffected that I felt that it would be easy to love him, 

 if I saw much of him. He dined twice with us, and went 

 to every public place with the party whenever he could. 

 I advised Sarah to consider the matter well before she 

 rejected him, as she certainly is not happy in her present 

 situation, and nothing can alter that for the better except, 

 it might be, marriage. That I could see no objection to 

 him but his youth, and that was for her to consider. Kitty 

 told her the same thing, but her answer was that she had 

 no hesitation whatever, her mind was made up that they 

 were every way unsuitable. Last night I had a letter 

 from her wherein she tells me that she had had a letter 

 from him which enabled her to put an end to the whole 

 affair, and she seems much more comfortable. She was 

 very nervous while this was in agitation. She slept inside 

 Caroline [Drewe's] and my room, and we used to curl our 

 hair together over the fire, and discuss Mr Swinney. She 

 was very much pleased we liked him so much, for she was 

 continually oscillating between her wish to be kind to him 



1 Sarah Wedgwood was then thirty-nine years of age, 



