LETTER127

letter127

charleslambtorobertsouthey7nov.,1804.

dearsouthey,—youwerethelastpersonfromwhomweheardofdyer,andifyouknowwheretoforwardthenewsinowsendtohim,ishallbeobligedtoyoutolosenotime.d.'ssister-in-law,wholivesinst.dunstan'scourt,wrotetohimaboutthreeweeksago,tothehopeinn,cambridge,toinformhimthatsquirehoulbert,orsomesuchname,ofdenmarkhill,hasdied,andleftherhusbandathousandpounds,andtwoorthreehundredtodyer.herlettergotnoanswer,andshedoesnotknowwheretodirecttohim;soshecametome,whoamequallyinthedark.herstoryis,thatdyer'simmediatelycomingtotownnow,andsigningsomepapers,willsavehimaconsiderablesumofmoney—how,idon'tunderstand;butitisveryrightheshouldhearofthis.shehasleftmebarelytimeforthepost;soiconcludewithalllove,&c.,toallatkeswick.

dyer'sbrother,who,byhiswife'saccount,hasgot1000_l_.lefthim,isfatherofthelittledirtygirl,dyer'snieceandfactotum.

inhaste,

yourstruly,

c.lamb.

ifyousendgeorgethis,cutoffthelastparagraph.d.'slaundresshadaletterafewdayssince;butgeorgeneverdates.