Coxe's, Twyford.


THE DEEPDENE, _Dec. 19_.

We arrived here on Saturday. The first day there were Lady Mary Bennet,
Miss Burrowes, and Prince Cariati, a banished Neapolitan, in very
long-skirted coat, which he holds up by tucking one hand inside behind;
good-humoured, and plays all sorts of _petits jeux_. Mrs. Hope has
recovered her beauty, and she and Mr. Hope are as kind as ever, and
asked affectionately after you, and so did Henry.

Mrs. Hogan, excellent Mrs. Hogan, has grown much older, but in all other
respects the same, and next to our own dear Mrs. Billamore the most
active and attached person in her station I ever saw. But why waste my
time on housekeepers, when I should tell you of Lord Burford and his
sisters, Lady Maria and Lady Caroline Beauclerc, who arrived on Monday,
and Lady Westmeath and Mr. Smith (_Rejected Addresses_), and Mr. Lock,
son of Norbury Park Lock: all _come_ to _go_ to a ball at Dorking, of
which Mr. Hope is one of the stewards.

The Lady Beauclercs are beautiful, in the Vandyke style, and Lord
Burford very handsome, and so is Mr. Lock, with a curly head.

Fanny danced a great deal, and Harriet two quadrilles and Sir Roger de
Coverley, which ended at six in the morning. We met at this ball Mr.
Greenough, and Mr. Angerstein, Sneyd's friend, very agreeable, and Mrs.
Hibbert, of the beautiful cottage, and Lady Rothes. Mr. Smith
excessively entertaining; he sings humorous songs of his own composition
inimitably. Alas! he went away yesterday.