I am in the country till Friday evening, refusing four or five invitations, two of which I would gladly have accepted, one to
Sir Somebody Eardley's, to see the beginning of the shipment of the electric cable between
England and
America, and eat the needful dinner on the occasion; and the other a matinee from four to eight, at the beautiful establishment of the Duchesse d'aumale at
Twickenham, where I should have met the
Comte de Paris and most of the Orleans family. . . . . I left Ellen and
Twisleton with a pretty sad feeling, as well as with a wearied body and jaded spirits, and came down to
Colonel Harcourt and
Lady Catherine, in the
Isle of Wight.
You and
Anna were invited, and much regret expressed, both in writing and by word of mouth, that you could not be here, a regret that I share with very great aggravations.
It is a beautiful place a couple of miles from Ryde.
It is a stone house, very picturesque, but not over large, with fine grounds full of old trees and gardens, pleasant walks, and glades sloping down to the sea and looking over to the
English coast . . . . . Nobody is here but
General Breton, who commands at
Portsmouth, and a nice pretty daughter, on account of whose delicate health he has just accepted the command at Mauritius.
Everything is most agreeable,—the tonic sea-air; the charming walks through woods and by the sounding shore; above all, the delicious quiet and repose.
The
Colonel is as handsome and as gentlemanlike as ever, and a most attentive host.
Lady Catherine is gentle, intelligent, cultivated,
