9
Leamington June 29 ^th Wednesday
My dearest Frances,
At last I am out of London. But
by how great an effort — A white bait dinner at Green-
wich is a feast of sense, but when you are surrounded
by the wits of London it is a festival also of the
soul — How I grew fast to some of the generous
spirits there — Yesterday the speaker of the House
of Commons made a very small party to visit
the Great Eastern Steamship now in a very
rapid process of completion. The party were
Lady Waldegrave, daughter and son, Lord and
Lady Elgin, the Chief Justice of Australia and
myself. Of this monstrous ship I will only
say that her dimensions are so unusual and
her parts so great that I could not keep
my mind steady in the remembrance that the
structure was a ship — or a vehicle – for locomo-
tion. It seemed rather like a great palace or
a town — At five I turned my recreant feet
from obeying the Queen's gracious commands to a
ball, and invitations to diverse parties and
concerts for the next month, and took the
rail road train for this place,

10
where I arrived
at 1/2 past 8. in the
rain – dined — and retired
at 1/2 past 10. How delightful
it was to wake up to a bright sunshine
and the music of birds at five o' clock
in the Country – and to feel once more that
I was free – The "fly" waits — and I must fly.