God bless you, dearest. I have not much to say, but my sisters all tell me to write just before they lie-in—that anything does for an amusement then; so I suppose it is right. Shall I have “Arlington” to-morrow, do you think? Your most affectionate
E. E.
Miss Eden to Mrs. Lister.
GREENWICH,
Friday evening, 1832.
DEAREST THERESA, I shall be charmed to see you any day you like, the sooner the better. Two or three stray people have suggested themselves for various days next week, but I am not sure who are the people, or what days they mean to come. I do not mean anything pert to George, but if he has a fault, it happens to be a total disregard of all notes and messages confided to him. However, I do not know of anybody coming that you would think objectionable. I should have suggested Monday because, as Caroline Montagu (Lord Rokeby’s sister) is coming to pass the day with Fanny, she might have brought you, and returned you, which you would probably prefer; but then what is to become of Mr. Lister? George cannot be here, and though you and I going one way, and Fanny and her Caroline the other, and all meeting for dinner would do very nicely, Mr. Lister would be bored out of his life. But any day you please will suit me, so as you can let me know in time to cook a bit of vittals for you.
I went to town yesterday to see Maria[379] and do my congratulations, and I passed a long time with her, and am quite satisfied that she is unfeignedly happy and that she really likes him. Sir Joseph[380] cannot control his joy at all, and was very amusing with his account of his own manner to Lord Grey and of Lord Grey’s to him. That angel of a man Charles Greville[381] (quite a new light to see him in) gave himself a degree of trouble that astounded me to procure places for us to see Taglioni[382] last night, and he succeeded in fixing us in Devon’s box with the Harrowbys and found us a carriage—in short, there never was anything so good-natured. So we stayed and saw her, and drove down here after it was over.
What a wonderful invention she is. I am satisfied now that she is not a mere live woman; but probably she is, as she insinuated in the ballet La Sylphide. Monsieur de Voisins sat next to us, and his ecstacies and Bravos, and the rapturous soliloquies he indulged in, have left me with a strong impression of his domestic felicity. To be sure, it is a miracle in our favour, that there should be a man in the world, who is enchanted to see his wife flying about a theatre with no cloathes on, and that that individual should have married Taglioni! Your ever affect.
E. E.
Miss Eden to Mrs. Lister.
GREENWICH PARK,
Thursday evening, July 2, 1832.