94 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, vi 



they do not go to bed till three or four o'clock. Every 

 evening there is a collection of distinguished men and agree- 

 able women to be found there after the play and opera, and I 

 think it must be the pleasantest house to visit at in London. 

 Mackintosh has spoken once upon the subject of the treaties, 

 but the debate was long, and the Morning Chronicle gave 

 scarcely any report of it. He was not however satisfied with 

 it himself, but he is too fastidious, as well to himself as to 

 everyone else. Horner's speech on the same side seems to 

 have gained great applause. I don't suppose the history 

 goes on at present, but Fanny [Mackintosh] is copying some 

 of the original letters of Prince Eugene from the Marlborough 

 Papers, and Kitty and she are very busy every morning 

 translating something for Mackintosh. Kitty's spirits and 

 health are excellent, and there is so much life and origin- 

 ality in her conversation that her society is a great pleasure 

 to us. We sit together all the evening, and the mornings I 

 am not sorry to have at my own disposal. She has got a 

 very decent manservant here and her little horses. She says 

 they do very well for saddle-horses, but we have not been 

 tempted by the weather to try them yet; I shall, however, 

 soon. Meantime we make them pay for their keep by using 

 them instead of hiring posters when we want to go out. I 

 never saw two such grave girls as the two Mackintoshes, but 

 I think them both clever. Fanny [Mackintosh, aged 16] 

 seems to have a very clear head and a great deal of informa- 

 tion very clearly arranged. She is a furious politician, as is 

 likely, but I am not clear whether she is aware of the dis- 

 tinction that everybody ought to feel between patriotism 

 and party spirit. Kitty is very kind and indulgent to them, 

 but she has not accustomed them to prompt obedience. . . . 

 I don't wonder at your feeling so much the departure of 

 the good and amiable Sismondi. It is not possible to with- 

 hold one's affection from such a man as that, if he were as 

 ugly as the Beast in the old tale. You have already had so 

 many agreeable results from your determination, that you 

 have good reasons to trust to this, and go on cheerfully down 

 the stream of life plucking all the flowers that lie in your 



