I wish somebody had received a letter from you by Friday’s post, to satisfy us where you was.  This idea of an epidemical disorder at Turin has alarmed Lady Carlisle, and I have caught some of the fright of her.  March returned yesterday from Lord Spencer’s, and the usual company supped at the Duke of Grafton’s.

Mrs. Horton(60) sets out for Nice with a toad-eater and an upper servant of the Duke’s this next week.  The night robbers prove to be soldiers in the Foot Guards, which I suspected; we have not recovered our terrors, and still go home, as they travel in the Eastern countries, waiting for convoys; it ruins me in flambeaux’s.

Lord Clive will not I think live to go to Nice, but I hope he will get safe to Paris, and then Sir J. Lambert will take care of all the rest.  The Badge is pretty, excepting that the shape of it is too long, and the whole seems too large for a young person.  But that was the fault of the sardonyx.

The Duchess of Bucc[leugh](61) is very far gone with child; but I believe I told you so in my last.  I will write the rest when Lady Sarah is gone from my house Tuesday after dinner.

Tuesday night.—­My dear Lord, I have waited till my foreign letters came in before I would finish this, always in hopes of one from you.  I have received one by this post from Charles of the 6th of this month; and he says you was answering one which you had just had from me.  This gives me hope that I shall hear from you on Friday.

Lady Sarah dined with me, Miss Blake, Sir Charles, Lord March, Lady Bolingbroke, and Crawfurd.  Lady S[arah], &c. went to the Play soon.  She received a long letter from Lady Holland while we were at dinner, but only said that Lord H[ollan]d was well, which I was glad to hear.  We were 16 yesterday at the Duke of Gr[afton’s], a very mixed company.  He enquired very kindly after you.

I think I shall have both trouble and expense at Gloucester, as I have had heretofore, but that is all I apprehend, and that I have been prepared for a great while, by expectation.  I am in great hopes from Charles’s letter that you are still at Nice.  Not that I think but, being so near Turin, if there was anything to be feared from the distemper, you would certainly hear it, and not go.  Perhaps there are letters from you in Cleveland Court; I shall send to Sir Wm.(62) to enquire.

The great event at Almack’s is that Scott has left off play; he is, I suppose, the plena cruons hirundo.  I am not quite satisfied that Sir J. Lambert is punctual in forwarding my letters; pray let me know it.  Those who have been to see me think your picture very like, but not a good likeness is agreed on all hands; but such as it is, I am very much obliged to you for it.

I am extremely glad to find that you are applying to Italian, but to anything is useful.  You will find the benefit of it your whole life.  There are lacunes to be filled up in every stage, which nothing can supply so well as reading, I am persuaded.