1826-1827] Bessy and Charlotte at Ampthill 185 



while he is away, and Kitty told me that the wife seemed 

 not displeased that the man was gone. 



Charlotte, who is very comfortably sleeping by the fire, 

 would join me, if she were alive, in love to you and your 

 three companions, not forgetting Tony. Hoping at no 

 unreasonable distance to see that chien de visage, 



I remain, my dear Jos, 



Your affectionate E. W. 



The four travellers, Mme Sismondi, Fanny and Emma 

 Wedgwood, and Edward Drewe, reached Calais on 25th 

 Nov. 1826. Emma wrote that day to her mother: " Aunt 

 Jessie told us that she did not know how she could have 

 borne leaving England if we had not gone with her, but now 

 she did not mind. Edward is very happy running about 

 looking at carriages and seeing about passports. Luckily 

 everybody here speaks English. . . . We came over with 

 half-a-dozen smugglers who teased us very much to wear 

 some plaid cloth cloaks for them, as they said they would 

 not take them from us but they would from them, but we 

 would not, as you may suppose." 



Their mother wrote many little instructions to the two 

 girls at Geneva. She begs them to pay regularly for their 

 letters and to be exact in their accounts, " this is more for 

 one of you than the other, your consciences will tell you 

 which," and it is easy to guess that the exact Fanny needed 

 no such reminder. Also, " I wish you would generally or 

 always say something to or of your aunt Sarah in your 

 letters; she always enquires very kindly of you, and I should 

 like to have something to say from you to her." 



Mrs Josiah Wedgwood to her husband. 



MY DEAR Jos AMPTHILL PARK, Nov. 28 [1826]. 



I write to rejoice with you over the safe arrival of 

 our dear children and their companions on the other side 

 the water. It is so pleasant to receive the letter before one 

 had begun to expect it. Now I am quite easy about them, 

 and feel very glad that their company has been such a 

 support to Jessie. 



