You may also imagine what a loss she is to poor Miss Lister, who has no mother, and whose only sister she was.

I fear, dear Uncle, I have made a sad and melancholy letter of this, but I have been so much engrossed by all this misery, and knowing you take an interest in poor Lord John, that I let my pen run on almost involuntarily.
We have very good accounts of the Queen-Dowager from Gibraltar.
Please return me Lord John's letter when you have done with it.
Lord and Lady Howard[30] have been here, and I urged him to _bear_ Dietz as an inevitable evil, and I think he seems very anxious to do what is right.

I have likewise written to Ferdinand, urging _him_ and Dietz to be reasonable.
Will you tell Aunt Louise that she will receive a box containing the Limerick lace dress (just like mine), which I lay at her feet.

I fear, dear Uncle, you will think I'm making you my commissioner _de toilette_, as in these two letters I have plagued you with commissions on that subject....
[Footnote 29: Daughter of Mr Thomas Lister.

She had been widow of the second Lord Ribblesdale, and married Lord John Russell in April 1835.] [Footnote 30: Charles Augustus, sixth Lord Howard de Walden, was the British Minister at Lisbon, and afterwards (1846-1868) at Brussels.] _The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._ LAEKEN, _9th November 1838._ MY DEAREST VICTORIA,--Your kind and interesting letter of the 6th reached me yesterday morning.