MS location unknown. Printed in Coleridge, Life 316
My dear Florence
Thank you for your kind note; I am glad you are at St. Cross again. I will try to come and see you as soon as I can. My dear cousin Anne had not been strong for many years, but was quite in her usual health till forty-eight hours before the end. Then as she was going upstairs at night a dreadful attack in the head came on, just what several of the family have had before, and it was very soon quite hopeless, and after the first few hours there was no apparent consciousness. Of course when the first letter had reached me all was really over, though I had one day of preparation – I cannot call it suspense. It is the loss of my very earliest and greatest sister-like friend, and would have been much harder to bear if I had not seen much reason last year to fear for her much suffering in health and spirits.
Her father has three left out of his ten children; he is bearing up beautifully, and so is his great mainstay, his daughter Mary, but it is such desolation to the house really that I can hardly bear to dwell on it.1 I had been at home not quite a week, having enjoyed the journey very much, and I shall greatly like to talk it over with you, and to hear what you have been doing in the meantime.
Your affectionate
C. M. Yonge