GE to Sara Sophia Hennell, Penzance, 24 March [1857]
Title
GE to Sara Sophia Hennell, Penzance, 24 March [1857]
Title
GE to Sara Sophia Hennell, Penzance, 24 March [1857]
Sender
George Eliot
Recipient
Sara Sophia Hennell
Date(s)
- 1857-03-24
Place
Penzance
Letter Content
GE to Sara Sophia Hennell, Penzance, 24 March [1857]
MS: Yale. Endorsed: 1857. Hitherto unpublished.
Penzance | Tuesday, March 24.
Dear Sara
I can't help being a little glad at your anxiety -- it shows you care about me. We are still at Penzance you see, and have not yet trusted the Atlantic with our crazy bodies. The boat only goes to Scilly twice a week -- Wednesdays and Saturdays -- and last Wednesday we were both so knocked up by our journey, that we dare not incur the extra sea-sickness threatened by the delays of an obstinate west wind. So we took lodgings, praying for a better wind on Saturday. But on Saturday it blew a hurricane, and now our hopes, or rather our fears, all turn on to-morrow. The weather has been just what we wanted every day except those on which the packet has sailed. 821 It is clear we are important persons, the state of the wind having evidently a relation to our movements.
But we make the best of a bad business, and are so much stronger than we were last week, that only the very worst weather will prevent our crossing to-morrow. In the meantime, we explore the charming walks round Penzance, and learn by heart all the hedgerow beauties of March in this country. 822
Our letters, sent to the Scilly Isles, have only come back to us here, this morning. I hope you have not been wondering much that yours was not answered earlier. The Ariadne is a capital yacht, warranted not to be a wreck, so don't be in any fear about us. But I will let you know of our arrival as soon as possible. Ever, with love to all,
Your affectionate
Marian.
MS: Yale. Endorsed: 1857. Hitherto unpublished.
Penzance | Tuesday, March 24.
Dear Sara
I can't help being a little glad at your anxiety -- it shows you care about me. We are still at Penzance you see, and have not yet trusted the Atlantic with our crazy bodies. The boat only goes to Scilly twice a week -- Wednesdays and Saturdays -- and last Wednesday we were both so knocked up by our journey, that we dare not incur the extra sea-sickness threatened by the delays of an obstinate west wind. So we took lodgings, praying for a better wind on Saturday. But on Saturday it blew a hurricane, and now our hopes, or rather our fears, all turn on to-morrow. The weather has been just what we wanted every day except those on which the packet has sailed. 821 It is clear we are important persons, the state of the wind having evidently a relation to our movements.
But we make the best of a bad business, and are so much stronger than we were last week, that only the very worst weather will prevent our crossing to-morrow. In the meantime, we explore the charming walks round Penzance, and learn by heart all the hedgerow beauties of March in this country. 822
Our letters, sent to the Scilly Isles, have only come back to us here, this morning. I hope you have not been wondering much that yours was not answered earlier. The Ariadne is a capital yacht, warranted not to be a wreck, so don't be in any fear about us. But I will let you know of our arrival as soon as possible. Ever, with love to all,
Your affectionate
Marian.
Signature
Marian.
Citation
George Eliot, GE to Sara Sophia Hennell, Penzance, 24 March [1857], Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/94071