Letter from Lady Sarah Spencer to her grandmother, the Dowager Lady Spencer, 6 July 1807

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

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text excerpt

I will attempt to describe all that happened on Saturday. The first question we all of us asked as soon as we waked was, “Is it fair?” as, after the agony we had suffered in watching the “doubling vapours sail along the sky” and the weather grow more and more lowering as the day drew nearer, our anxiety was really beyond expression. For as we asked I fancy near eight hundred people, what could have been done with them indoors? The morning, however, was tolerable, but it began raining violently just as people began to come, at two o’clock. This, however, did us good; the rest of the day was warm, clear, and yet not too hot—in short, perfect. Very few people arrived before three, but when they did come it was the prettiest sight I ever saw, I think. The numbers of people dressed in brilliant colours, wandering about under trees and on the lawn and in the portico, the sound of the different bands of music, the extreme beauty of the place, which had put on its best looks, the profusion of roses and pinks in every part of the house and about it, and the sincere pleasure one saw in every countenance, made it quite a delightful thing. Every creature was, I believe, equally delighted with it; nobody left us till six or seven o’clock, and all were not gone till nine. Harriet and I went about for some time in vain, but at last with success, to make people dance. They did begin at about four; this added greatly to the beauty of the spectacle. While we were watching the country-dances on the west side of the house, the Duke of Cambridge and Lady Charlotte Campbell and two more people began waltzing on the other, to the great admiration of everybody. They all said it was a beautiful thing, they both danced so well, and the military band accompanied them so beautifully. I regret extremely not having seen this part of the fete.

excerpt from 'Letter from Lady Sarah Spencer to her grandmother, the Dowager Lady Spencer, 6 July 1807' pp. 3-4 (340 words)

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1540905214343