The Letters of the Duke of Wellington to Miss J., 1834-1851: Edited, with Extracts from the Diary of the LatterWellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of
History
The Letters of the Duke of Wellington to Miss J., 1834-1851: Edited, with Extracts from the Diary of the Latter
Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of
Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852 -- Correspondence
"The next letter from the Duke is dated August 26th, implying he
proposed calling when in his power, but adds 'You arrive at a
moment in which I am much occupied. You are at some distance from
hence; and I don't think that from nine in the morning till 12 at
night I could easily find half an hour which I can call my own and
at my disposition.'
"In the Duke's letter of the 27th he writes; 'I will endeavor to
call upon you this day before three. I cannot afterwards. If I
should call when you don't expect me I will send up that I am the
Gentleman to whom you wrote; unless I should previously hear from
you that I may mention my Name.'
"Which of course I did not allow, as it was not my desire to be
noticed in the neighborhood, shrinking from it then, as I do now,
when it can be avoided. I recollect the Duke's visit well for he
had to wait until I was dressed by dear Mrs. L. who was in the
house at the time, as usual, for I think he came earlier than I had
expected. Consequently in his next of the 29th he writes; 'I don't
see why you are to take the trouble of dressing to receive me. But
that is your own affair. If you should do so I can wait with
Patience.'
"This was very pretty in His Grace, but as my dress was always very
simple, it did not require any great exercise of that virtue.
"By the Duke's next letter of Sept. 1st I fear another letter is
missing as he writes therein 'Mine of yesterday morning will have
informed you that I was obliged to attend the King at Windsor on
Saturday and a part of His family at Kew on Sunday.--I did not say
that _all_ my time was passed in the House of Lords. Much of it is
certainly passed out of the House, but a great part of it is passed
in receiving and talking to the Hundreds, I may say, of the persons
who have business in the House and come to converse on the business
with me.'
"In the Duke's next letter of Sept. 4th he writes; 'I received this
morning your letter of yesterday, but have not received the Tract
that you mention. It is possibly too heavy for the 2nd Post.'
"Perhaps this was the case, as I do not recollect hearing any more
of it. The next letter from His Grace is dated the same, Sept. 4th,
Noon, in which he writes; 'I will endeavor to fix and let you know
the time in which I can wait upon you again.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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