A strange-looking letter is this from C——— enclosing the proof of a paper I wrote on Irish Educational matters, very laconic and editorial:—
“Dear T.,
“You are all wrong: as blue and yellow, when mixed, form
green, so will your Protestant and Papist League make
nothing but rampant infidelity. In any great State scheme of
education there must be one grand standard of obedience—the
Bible is the only one I’ve heard of yet. Keep this one then
till you hear of better.
“Yours,
“H. C.”
Another of the same hand:—
“H——— desires me to inclose you these two letters: one I
know is an introduction to Guizot; the other, I suppose, to
be ‘Ein empfehlungs Brief’ to the ‘Gräfin.’ Take care to say
as little as possible to the one, and to have, in Irish
parlance, as little as possible ‘to say’ to the other. At
Paris you want no guidance; and at Vienna, the Abbé Discot
is your man. Coloredo is out of favour for the moment; but
he can afford to wait, and, waiting, to win. Be assiduous in
your visits at B———y’s; and when the Countess affects
ignorance, let us always hear from you.
“Yours ever,
“H. C.”
This is a very rose-coloured and rose-odoured document:—
“Dear Mr. Templeton,
“I have to make two thousand excuses; one each for two
indiscretions, I believed I had your box at the Opera for
last evening; and I also fancied—think of my absurdity!—
that the bouquet of camélias left there was meant for me.
Pray forgive me; or, rather, ask the fair lady who came in
at the ballet to forgive me. I never can think of the
incident without shame and self-reproach; du reste, it
has given me the opportunity of knowing that your taste in
beauty equals your judgment in flowers.
“Very much yours,
“Helen Collyton.
“Sir H——— bids me say, that he expects you on Wednesday.
We dine earlier, as the Admiral goes on board in the
evening.”
This was an absurd incident; and, trivially as it is touched on here, made of that same Lady Collyton a very dangerous enemy to me.
This is not a specimen of calligraphy, certainly:—
“If you promise neither to talk of the Catholic Question,
the Kildare Place Society, nor the ‘Glorious Revolution of
1688.’ P——— will have no objection to meet you at dinner.
Hammond, you’ve heard, I suppose, has lost his election; he
polled more voters than there were freeholders registered on
the books: this was proving too much, and he must pay the
penalty. Y——— is in, and will remain if he can; but
there is a hitch in it—‘as the man who lent him his
qualification is in gaol at Bruges.’ Write and say if you
accept the conditions.
“Yours,
“Frederick Hamilton.”
There are some memorials of a very different kind—they are bound up together; and well may they, they form an episode quite apart from all the events before or after them! I dare not open them; for, although years have passed away, the wounds would bleed afresh if only breathed on! This was the last I ever received from her. I have no need to open it—I know every line by heart!—almost prophetic, too!