ng as I
live. Every thing so punctual. Sir George never looks into his
painting-room on a Sunday, nor trusts himself with a portfolio. Never
is impatient. Always rides or walks for an hour or two, at two
o'clock; so will I with you, if it is only into the square. I amuse
myself, every evening, making sketches from Sir George's drawings
about Dedham, &c. I could not _carry_ all his sketch-books. * * * I
wish I had not cut myself out so much to do here; but I was greedy
with the Claudes."

In his next letter to his wife, Constable deplores the facility with which
he allowed his time to be consumed by loungers in his painting-room--an
evil his good-nature to the last entailed on him. Mrs Constable in one of
her letters had said:--"Mr **** was here nearly an hour on Saturday,
reading the paper and talking to himself. I hope you will not admit him so
often. Mr ****, another lounger, has been here once or twice."

"_Cole-Orton Hall, November. 21st._--My dearest love, I am as
heartsick as ever you can be at my long absence from you, and all our
dear darlings, but which is now fast drawing to a close. In fact, my
greediness for pictures made me cut out for myself much more work
than I ought to have undertaken at this time. One of the Claudes
would have been all that I wanted, but I could not get at that first,
and I had been here a fortnight before I began it. To-day it will be
done, with perhaps a little touch on Saturday morning. I have then an
old picture to fill up some holes in. But I fear I shall not be able
to get away on Saturday, though I hope nothing shall prevent me on
Monday. I can hardly believe I have not seen you, or my Isabel, or my
Charley, for five weeks. Yesterday there was another very high wind
and such a splendid evening as I never before beheld at this time of
the year Was it so with you? But in London nothing is to be seen,
worth seeing, in the NATURAL way.

"I certainly will not allow of such serious interruptions as I used
to do from people who devour my time, brains and every thing else.
Sir George says it is quite serious and alarming. Let me have a
letter on Sunday, my last day here, as I want to be made comfortable
on my journey, which will be long and tiresome, and I shall be very
nervous as I get near home; therefore, pray let me have a good
accou