Hayley-XXI-58

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Derby April 28^th 1792

My dear H

I can hardly allow myself time to thank you for your kind & entertaining letter, which nevertheless merits my warmest thanks so eager am I to tell you how I was astonishd [sic] this morning.

I was dressing languid as usual when my maid who had gone down stairs on an errand returned with information that M.^r Gough had called & bad my Landlady would tell me M.^rs Beridge was just married to M.^r Twigg. I never recollect to have felt equally the force of surprize where surprize was the only sensation that could agitate me – for I have seen M.^r Twigg (& so as I recollect have you) & from the little I have seen, I have given him credit for that partiality which has been shewn him by Mason. His character is excellent

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& it has been constantly my wish to see our amiable Friend again united to a worthy man thinking her of all women of my acquaintance the most formed to make such a state happy to him & herself - yet I had not an idea that she had a thought of changing her situation at present. It is generally agreed that never was such a secret so well kept in a country town. Only her Father & Mother it seems knew it till within this week - not even her brother & sister, & M.^r & M.^rs Gough, who attended her to church.

Till that instant all her servants were in perfect ignorance tho poor old Thomas who was almost petrified with despair on the sudden loss (as he conceived) of his mistress tells me he had a suspicion on the preceding evening when Tom’s friend Peter was dispatched with a single horse to Matlock. They sat off in a hack post chaise from the church door & are going a tour of about a month before they settle in Derby, as M.^rs Banton tells me who called on me very obligingly I fancy at the

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request of her sister. She has since sent me a kind message by Jasper who went with them to Matlock & returned this evening.

As soon as M.^rs Banton left me I went to console poor Thomas (tho M^r B had called at his Sister’s desire to assure him it would make no difference to him) & after a few turns in the garden & talking over M.^r Twigg’s good qualities he grew calmer, tho his being six years younger than his mistress & nearly as stranger to Thomas (for he has been seldom in Derby) makes him tremble for her fate with such a young man after his good master but he has since returned my visit & drank the healths of M.^r & M.^rs Twigg with chearfulness.

I owe this faithful affectionate Creature every attention, not only for his constant attentions to me, but for his very engaging care of Tom when he was very sick. He sat with him upon his knee & supported him with the tenderness of a Mother, tho he was at the same time so ill that he could with difficulty support himself. I assure you the sight was quite

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affecting to unpoetical feelings — what would it therefore have been to yours? but I have nearly filled a sheet with this agreeable surprize, without telling you that I was also agreeably surprized by the advertisment of your Opera. You had not (as I daresay you intended) told me of your having disposed of it to the manager. I should then have felt no astonishment as it was after your late declaration, I concluded your quarrel was like the quarrel of Lovers & waited for the satisfactory explanation which I was persuaded your next letter would afford me. I am not however so far degenerated by my transmigration from the Helicon to the ?Paitolas? but I take a lively interest in this engaging Ignis Fatuas which I hope will continue to twinkle with eclat till the end of next month, & that it will then contribute “to light me on my way” to Midhurst.

After the two foregoing surprizes, & my having already in a former letter told you that I consider sea Air & bathing as absolutely necessary

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for the restoration of my shattered health you will not I trust be greatly surprized when I inform you that I am going to accept a most cordial invitation from good old Lady Newburgh the beginning of June & that it is my wish & intention to spend the months of July & August in the retirement of Felpham. I say retirement for tho I am at present so entirely out of conceit with the “hum of men” that I often think rather than continue in so much noise & smoke I would gladly breathe the free air alone upon a common, yet it is not in my plan to be le solitaire at Felpham. On the contrary one of my many inducements for fixing on Felpham (such as wearing old great coats that are become to shabby for Derby &c) is the dependance I have on your indulging me with Tom’s animated society during the greater part, if not the whole of my residence there. Added to the advantage of sea bathing (which is certainly very desirable for him) he might, I should imagine pursue writing & arithmetic to great advantage part of every day with his young Friends the Dukes

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at Birstead. I will therefore request you to engage my former apartments for me these said months of July & August upon the most moderate terms these good humour’d people can afford them. I had two parlours & three bedchambers. The small one I consider as Tom’s, & half my maids will I hope be occupied part of the time by Mary to whom I know sea bathing is (as with me) the sovereign specific but there are two whole months before I embark in this marine business - we shall therefore have sufficient opportunity to speak further upon these matters by letter. And after the improvements at Slindon which Lady N tells me she is anxious to shew me I shall probably be tempted to take a solitary walk in the garden of a certain Hermit at Eartham, as I do frequently in that of M.^r Darwin at Derby and possibly the Hermit if he is at leisure may not only take a turn

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with me but he may also be graciously pleased to invite me in to tea with him as M.^r Darwin kindly did this afternoon, which afforded me particular satisfaction, when I was in a humour to moralize on the many hours passed in the old house & garden twenty summers gone & away

The garden as I believe I mentioned is greatly improved since our last visit to our then newly married Friends. M.^r D has also a charming seat to which I fly when the Western sun makes home insupportable, which I found it from time to time last year till near Michalmas - yet I resist Lady Newbrugh’s immediate invitation not finding it convenient to be absent from Derby more than four months, & not caring to return thither again till the Sun has nearly forsaken my windows

After so much private history you will not want wish me to embark upon politics. I must however thank you in the name

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of all the Partizans of M.^rs Wollstoncraft for the liberality with which you speak of this Champion of one Sex, —

And now I will bid you adieu with love to Tom & kind respects to Mary (who I think will sympathize a little with her friend Thomas in wonderment at the event of the day

I am
your ever affectionate
Eliza

Miss Pigot desires her love & thanks for the charming little billet of her admirer She is a sweet girl & I wish to take her with me but Papa & Mama cannot spare her. Mrs P says if he was a doctor of divinity instead of Physick they would all go with me to the southern shore