Leigh Hunt letter to Marianne Kent Hunt, March 8, 1813

              Surrey Jail -- 8th March 1813.  

My dearest girl,
  
I thank you for your letters more & more: - in the first place, you send me a great many; secondly, they are as long again as they used to be; thirdly, they are ten times as well written; fourthly, they tell me as they can about my boys; & fifthly, they come from the dearest place in the world, - your kind, & generous, & affec¬tionate heart. - I cannot however answer your last as I could wish, - at least not as to length, for the girls from Liverpool[1] are with me to day, & while I am now writing, Betsy is swinging, & Esther reading a book on the sopha. They appear to be two of the best-hearted girls in the world, but their characters are respectively the reverse of what you may think them, for Betsy is quite staid & does not like to be reminded of her tickling days, & Esther is all hilarity & ardour, - a desperate politi¬cian, & wore a medal of Mr Brougham during the election,[2] -- which she has presented to me. They are quite at home here, & say they could spend all their Londoning /---/ with me; - what will you say to that? - I have not seen Dr Gooch[3] as he promised, & am afraid from what he told me /---/ when I saw him last that he may be unwell; - if he does not call tomorrow or next day, I will write to him, & ask him about Thornton's bathing. How came you to fancy that any thing unpleasant had passed between my brother[4] & my¬self; you might as well have fancied that your two arms would