[The handwriting is difficult to read at several points in this letter.]
From Birmingham. She is pleased to receive a letter from Tooth. She has been hindered from seeing the people that Tooth requested her to visit until it was looking like it would be useless for her to go. Ludlow’s husband [William] has been ill almost since she returned from Tooth’s house, although his health has much improved within the last week. Because of his illness, most of Ludlow’s time has been taken up with the shop.
On the receipt of Tooth’s letter, he [William] went to Mr Borrow as the Ludlows are not acquainted with any other shareholder. He [Borrow?] did not attend the last public meeting, neither has he been requested to pay the ‘last call’ but expects that he will have to pay it. He says that there is no means of escape for those who have property and it appears that such people as Tooth ‘shared[?] the worst expence with them their in Walford, because he has/his a lawyer’s clark, hee[?] do not dare to trouble & others who make a stand against them but the country shareholders, they will no rest as long as they have any property. If you were to leave Madeley their would be an end of it, but that will not do whilst you have an important work to do their. Through mercy you have enough [money] left for yourself, only the poor suffer. At my [unreadable word] it will prevent people from saying many meet with you for the sake of Madeley Wood [Chapel] as that cannot now be the case, but I think I would withold the 20L [libros – pound stirling] a little longer & I will make further enquiry respecting it’.
Soon after Ludlow wrote to Tooth last, there arose an opportunity for them to ‘remove from the shop’ which has proved so bad for her husband’s health that ‘our expenses are greater’. For the present they continue in the same way. The Lord has greatly sanctified her husband’s affliction – she does not think that he ever enjoyed as much religion as he does now. She hopes that he will be spared for the usefulness of the Church as well as his family. Since his health declined, Ludlow has discovered that there is not one relation that she could look to for help in the event of his death, but this simply causes her to trust more implicitly in God.
Her regards should be passed to Miss Haselwood and to Rebecca.