Wordsworth, Dora (1804-1847). - Letter, from Rydal Mount, to Elizabeth Hamilton, at an unstated address, dated 1 June 1831. The letter is not in her hand. WLL / Wordsworth, Dora / 1 / 35

Dora Wordsworth to Eliza Hamilton

Rydal Mount

June 1st 1831.

My dear Friend,

You must be wearied with my excuses for idleness, therefore I will make none, but just beg you to accept my very sincere thanks for your last kind & most interesting letter, which reached me when at Buxted, so long ago that I dare not look at the date of it. There we were detained by my Uncle's ill health much longer than was intended, so at last we were obliged to hurry from town & from Cambridge, & home as fast as possible, & here we have been three weeks. Poor Mother sped not well on our journey homewards - she was seized with a frightful attack of sciatica, which obliged her to halt at Nottingham; but we fell among good Samaritans; William & Mary Howitt (whose joint poetical publications you may have seen) took us in & nursed her most tenderly for ten days. Father was obliged to proceed, so I was left behind with my Mother. The Howitts were not known to us personally before this misfortune - but misfortune I cannot call this illness which was the occasion of introducing us to so delightful & fascinating a Poetess as Mary Howitt. But how came these good Samaritans to find you out in your distress? I hear you ask. We found them out. We of course knew not whom to call in as a medical adviser. Father luckily remembered that the Howitts were inhabitants

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of this town, so he found them out. They recommended a Physician & further insisted upon removing my Mother to their house, so my poor Mother, who could scarcely rise without fainting away, was carried thither, & by kind & good nursing she was strong enough in about 12 days to follow my Father home. But, poor soul, her troubles end not here: she had had but one week's quiet enjoyment of her beautiful home when she was again hurried off to Cheltenham. Such a letter of entreaty from poor old Dr Bell that she would go to see him, that there was not a choice left, & she went by return of mail - (The Madras system Dr Bell) - the poor old man is in such a state of health that his death may be looked for any day, & yet he may live for a long long time. He has lost his voice completely. She is with him still, & we cannot guess when he will consent to part with her.

Our German Student is come home to us strong & well, & with as good an English heart as he took away with him: he is very sorry he could not succeed in procuring the book for your Brother. Now I hope to make some progress in German. But this is a vile house for study: truly it is, as the Master of Trinity calls it, "Idle Mount". It is impossible to get a glimpse of the soft green lawn, & the silent glassy lake, & the bold rocky mountain beyond, & be contented to sit quietly at one's desk poring over a German Grammar & Dictionary. My Brother & Sister are with us now happy, nay happier than the day is long, and our little god child Rotha Quillinan whom we brought down with us from town

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- the sweetest Thing alive - tho' so plain that she is almost ugly, - wild with pleasure - as you may imagine an active, clever happy Child of ten years old taken from a London boarding school & allowed to run at her "own sweet will" among rocks & shrubs & flowers & horses & dogs & cats & books - fairy tales & ballads which delight her more than anything - & the Pet of both parlor & Kitchen & Stable too - for as to keeping her from the horses it is impossible - and as for the Dogs, really one of them not Neptune almost bit off her poor little nose the other day. I fear indeed it has left a mark for life - & still she will kiss them & carry them about as if they were dolls. Nevertheless she is the best of good children - and so extremely amusing that we only fear we shall spoil her.

My Aunts are both quite well & desire to be most kindly remembered to you. Mrs Luff too & Mrs Harrison are well: so is my particular Friend Mr Barber, & in good humor too with himself & everybody & the Reform also. We have grand disputes on this subject, & my argument generally ends in a true Woman's style, "Pray let the subject drop; it is no use discussing with one who talks like a Madman"; but poor Father is quite overpowered by the horrors & sorrows which seem to him hanging over this hitherto favored spot of earth. But I doubt not he will express his sentiments to your Brother on the other page - for he can neither think nor write nor talk on any other topic. Thank you for the interesting "Character" you sent

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me. I read your lines to my Father; they pleased him extremely, & I know, if, whilst he is writing, Reform does not run away with him, he will tell you so himself. Now that summer is come the sticks & hoops are again tossing on the front, but I am sorry to say "The Graces" are a little neglected; even little Rotha is not so constant to them as Mr Hamilton was last year. x x Mrs Godwin the authoress of "The Wanderer's Legacy" &c (I think you read her book whilst with us) has taken Spring Cottage for 3 Months - She & her husband passed last evening here & we found them very agreeable people. There is a young man named "Archer" - who has now been in this neighbourhood several months - an Irishman - very interesting, very clever, extraordinary poetical taste - & memory. He writes poetry, & well too: - I think he almost knows by heart every published line of my Father's, - we have seen him often & like him much - but as he brought no introduction of course we dont like introducing him to others or even inviting people to meet him, which we otherwise should do. Can you tell us anything about him? He says he is the son of a Dublin Publisher & Bookseller deceased, I believe also an Alderman of Dublin, & such a Publisher we know there was. Owing to bad health he was brought up to no trade or profession - his mother married again & to a Clergyman, I forget her name - he was at School or College with your Brother, but says he does not know him; he is a few years younger. In face he is a little like my Father, but so very like my Brother William that every body who sees him exclaims 'how like!' - & this likeness I believe it was that at first made us take to him, but his own talents must soon have done it for him. Now I must end.

ever yr very affectionate

Dora Wordsworth.

John's & Isabella's kind regards.

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