"'Believe me Ever Yours most faithfully,
"'Wellington.'
"In the Duke's next letter, dated Oct. 24th, he writes—'I have to acknowledge the receipt of, and to thank you for your continued kindness in writing me two long letters.' At the end the Duke writes; 'It is possible that I may be under the necessity of going to London to attend to the opening of the New Royal Exchange.'
"The next letter from the Duke is dated Nov. 6th wherein he writes;
"'Some days have elapsed since I have heard from you and as I cannot recollect any reason for your silence I begin to be apprehensive that you may have been unwell and have been prevented by indisposition from writing to me. I therefore write this line to request you to write to me and let me know how you are.'
"On the same sheet the Duke writes Nov. 7th; 'I have this morning received yours of the 6th and am delighted to find that you are not indisposed. I was in Town on two different days in last week; in one I attended the Ceremony of opening the Royal Exchange by Her Majesty the Queen [ ][Endnote 6]—on another to attend the marriage and indeed to give away in marriage a young Lady and was under the necessity of returning here as Time, Tides and Trains or Railroads wait for no Man and I had not time even to write, much less to go to see you.'
"The Duke's next letter is dated Nov. 10th 1844 wherein he writes—'You always express in your letters the same interest for my welfare which has always drawn from me the expressions of my grateful sense of your kindness.' Again in the Duke's next letter dated Nov. the 12th he writes; 'Notwithstanding that I wrote to you so lately I will not suffer the Post to go this day without expressing my sense of your kindness in writing to me.'
"The Duke's next letter is dated Nov. 19th, in which he writes—'I intend to go to see you as soon as I shall have a moment's leisure. But my time is really so much employed in the service of the Public as to leave me none for social purposes and scarcely enough for Repose.'
"The Duke's next letter is dated Nov. 20th, wherein he writes—'I write you one line to tell you that if it should be in my power I will call upon you this day after three o'clock.'
"The Duke's next letter is dated Dec. 3rd, wherein he writes—'I was so much occupied with public business that I could not call upon you again. I am quite well. Then I was at Windsor Castle in attendance upon Her Majesty the Queen during the five last days of last week. I have not got the Parcel to which you referred.'