1827-1830] A Rackety Week 225 



Catherine Darwin to her cousin Emma Wedgwood. 



MY DEAR EMMA, SHREWSBURY, Saturday. 



Susan and I are just returned from our rackety 

 week, and my head is in a most rackety state. As my frank 

 is for to-morrow, 1 it will be very pleasant to send you a 

 true and sober account of it all. Tuesday, I took Susan to 

 Woodhouse and then went on to Tedesmere, 2 where I found 

 but a small party, as they had had various disappoint- 

 ments. I was so comfortably at my ease from being the 

 only young lady, and it was so little formal, that I rather 

 enjoyed it. I had a most delightful ball and danced every 

 dance as long as I was there. I found the Woodhouse 

 immense party great comforts, and not at all formidable. 

 Certainly an Oswestry ball is far better than the Shrews- 

 bury ones. It is a little room and nobody is formal, no 

 grandees, and always plenty of gentlemen, that first of 

 all considerations. The next morning I was delighted to 

 change the Baron's abode for Woodhouse. The Owena 

 sent their pony carriage over for me. There was an 

 immense party there. We had all kinds of games and 

 dancing till 12, when Mr Owen instantly dissolved the 

 party. They were all rather tired after the ball, and 

 I did not myself think it half so delightful as it de- 

 scribes, and I suspect nothing ever is so pleasant in 

 reality as it is in description. It is hardly possible for 

 common mortals in my opinion to wind up their spirits 

 to the Woodhouse pitch; more than half the gentlemen 

 indeed were a little too much stimulated. I enjoyed a 

 great deal of it however very much, and there was a great 

 deal of laughing and fun. There was the most immense 

 party at dinner on Friday. There were a number of 

 people invited to dinner, under the belief that the former 

 party in the house would be gone by that time, but when 



1 A member of Parliament franking a letter was bound to write 

 on it the date (in words), and the name of the addressee, and the 

 frank was good for that date only. 



2 The Bulkeley Owens. 



