s of having been a royal residence long before
Cromwell's time....

The older English country-houses are full of quaint and picturesque
relics of former times; but I think there is a cruel indifference
sometimes to their preservation; _e.g._, think of the Norwich people
allowing the house of Sir Thomas Browne to be dismantled of all its
wood-carving, which was sent up to London and sold in morsels, I
suppose, to the Jews in Wardour Street.

Yours affectionately,
FANNY.

PORTSMOUTH, Friday, March 31st, 1848.

I did not walk on my arrival in Portsmouth, dear Hal, but dined. The day
was very beautiful all along, and I enjoyed as much of it as my
assiduous study of the _Times_ newspaper would allow.

I am glad you saw Mitchell, because now you can conceive what a funny
colloquy that was of mine with him, about the price of the seats at my
readings. [Mr. Mitchell, court bookseller, queen's publisher, box-letter
to the nobility, general undertaker of pleasures and amusements for the
fashionable great world of London, was my manager and paymaster
throughout all my public reading career in England.] In making the
preliminary arrangements for them he had, in my opinion, put the prices
too high, demanding ten shillings for them. When I said they were not
worth two, and certainly ought not to be charged more than five, he
replied, with much feeling for the British aristocracy, whom he
idolized, and whom he thought fit on this occasion to designate,
collectively, under the title of my friend Lord Lansdowne, that he
couldn't think of insulting him by making him pay only five shillings to
hear me read. I wonder why poor dear Lord Lansdowne can't be asked five
shillings? I would have charged him, and all the smaller and greater
nobility of the realm, half a crown, and been rather ashamed of the
pennyworth they got for it. But a thing is worth what it will fetch, and
no one knows that better than Mr. Mitchell. I should think any sensible
being would prefer paying half a crown to the honor and glory of
disbursing twice that sum for a two-hours' reading--even by me, even of
Shakespeare. I wish, while you were in personal connection with my
manager Mitchell, you had remonstrated with him about those ridiculous
dandified advertisements. You might have expressed my dislike of such
fopperies, and perhaps sav