132 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, x 



it will give you pleasure. You know we expected to find 

 the poor beast gasping in the garden but Beauty has had 

 better luck in reality than in the tale. . . . 



Emma Allen to her niece Elizabeth Wedgwood. 



CK&NE, June 1, 1821. 



... I never saw such rapture as his to meet Jessie, or 

 such a state of happiness ever since we arrived. Jessie 

 also appears gay and happy, and amuses herself in talking 

 nonsense to puzzle him. She is much pleased with the 

 alterations he has made in the house. There are two very 

 agreeable summer sitting-rooms, in winter I suppose there 

 will be a difficulty in keeping them warm. At present, and 

 particularly when the weather gets hot, we shall find the 

 coolness and space of this house quite the thing. 



I have not cared to repeat the account of our journey 

 because I wrote it yesterday to Baugh [Allen], but for fear 

 you should desire to know it, I must tell you that our 

 departure from London was upon the whole far less sad 

 than I expected it. 



To avoid Paris we took the upper route, but to shorten 

 it, were directed at Calais not to go as far as Cambray, in 

 following which direction we fell into the most detestable 

 roads that ever were, and we got frightened and tired, ex- 

 pecting the carriage to break to pieces, and were obliged 

 to walk for near two posts. Thursday was a very heavy 

 day on us. After toiling all day till six in the evening, 

 among bad roads which made us tremble for our carriage 

 after we had got out of it, when we arrived at the post, 

 the one before St Quentin, they assured us we should have 

 a charming road on; but unluckily we soon found that we 

 had to contend with roads infinitely worse than what we 

 had passed in the morning, and it became so deep and 

 narrow, that before the carriage stuck fast, we felt assured 

 the foolish boy who was driving us had mistook his way. 

 When it did we scrambled out as we could. Jessie stood 

 guard on the carriage while Fanny and I ran different ways 



