I went to town yesterday to see Maria[379] and do my congratulations, and I passed a long time with her, and am quite satisfied that she is unfeignedly happy and that she really likes him. Sir Joseph[380] cannot control his joy at all, and was very amusing with his account of his own manner to Lord Grey and of Lord Grey's to him. That angel of a man Charles Greville[381] (quite a new light to see him in) gave himself a degree of trouble that astounded me to procure places for us to see Taglioni[382] last night, and he succeeded in fixing us in Devon's box with the Harrowbys and found us a carriage--in short, there never was anything so good-natured. So we stayed and saw her, and drove down here after it was over.
What a wonderful invention she is. I am satisfied now that she is not a mere live woman; but probably she is, as she insinuated in the ballet _La Sylphide_. Monsieur de Voisins sat next to us, and his ecstacies and Bravos, and the rapturous soliloquies he indulged in, have left me with a strong impression of his domestic felicity. To be sure, it is a miracle in our favour, that there should be a man in the world, who is enchanted to see his wife flying about a theatre with no cloathes on, and that that individual should have married Taglioni! Your ever affect.
GREENWICH PARK, _Thursday evening, July 2, 1832_.
DEAREST THERESA, I found your note when we came home late last night from Richmond, where we had been to pass the day and dine with the G. Lamb's; consequently your party was dispersed and you were in a sweet sleep before I knew you had been "at home," and I was in a sweet sleep too, five minutes after I got home, and shall be so again, I hope, as soon as I have sealed this note. These days in the country are wholesome in that respect. We came here very early this morning, did our Churches like good Christians, and have given a dinner like Ditto, for we have a highly conservative party down here, at least what would have been conservative if, as my housekeeper justly observed about the gooseberries, the season for conserving was not gone by.
We have had the Jerseys, Lord Villiers, Lord Carnarvon, and dear C. Baring-Wall, besides the smart tassel of young Jersey children. George was as happy as a King with all his old friends, so I am delighted they came, and after all Lady Jersey is very good-humoured.