Part f. 35r - Letter from Caroline Duff Gordon to Lord Houghton

1 folded sheet, 1 single sheet

34 Hertford Street, W.—Praises his article on Miss Berry in the Quarterly Review.

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Transcript

34 Hertford St: W.
Wednesday 24 Janry 1866

My dear Lord Houghton.

I can’t resist writing to you, to tell you how much pleasure yr. article on Miss Berry in the Quarty. Revw. has given me—It is so true in all that regards Her Character—& the cause of the great agreeability (and Comfortable agreeability) of Her House! one never knew exactly, why, One was happier in her Salon than elsewhere—for often the People were common place enough—though at other times brilliant—but she and poor Agnes (whom Lord Dover called the wrong side of the Tapestry) had the talent of relivening one’s individual self—and one felt that one was pleasant oneself if nobody else was! This feeling died with 8 Curzon St.!!

I will not plague you with any more prose but with my Love to Annabel and thanks for her Letter

Yours sincerely
Caroline Duff Gordon

When all was over & the Scene dropped in Curzon St. I very much wished to persuade Many of her oldest friends who knew Her early Life—and all who had known Her latterly—to write their feelings & estimate of Her character—and of the society in which she delighted to dwell—& then for some one (I wished Lady Morley) to form these sketches to make a Book—no one, would listen to me—I only wrote my own knowlege† (from 1812 to the time of their Death with the exception of the Years 3½ that I spent in Spain from the end of 1813 to 1817—so this (besides my real love for them) gives me a double feeling in all that is now written about Her.

CDS

A true Woman’s PS—longer than the real Letter—scusi

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† Sic.

Pasted into Crewe MS 9 (f. 35r).