Saturday, December 17, 1831

 

1831 December

Saturday 17

7 1/2

1 1/4

Fine morning, F 49° in my room at 8 and 42° in the balcony at 8 1/4 –

Down at 8 40/.. – Read over German fables – Skimmed the newspaper till 9 20/.., then breakfast and had just done when Miss Hobart came (with a bad headache) at 9 3/4 – Read aloud a fable to her very kind in my manner, but very proper – Came to my room at 10 1/4 –

Out at 2 1/2 – Walked very slowly so as not to heat up, and reading German auxilliary verbs as I went along to the 3 mile stone on the London road – In returning, called at Wooll’s for a few minutes and back at 12 50/.. – With Miss H- downstairs 1/4 hour – 

Out with her at 1 1/4 – Walked 1/2 way to Bohemia, then went on to the shore, shingle and gravel, and sauntered about, and came in at 2 35/.. – Miss H- rather tired, but her head better – She had let me open gates for her and now first time in her life let me take off her clogs and give her her slippers in her room –

Came to my room at 2 3/4 – Dressed and done at 3 1/2 – German from then to 5 55/.. Sat a minute or 2 near 4 with Miss H-, and asleep for 1/2 hour from 4 20/.. – Dinner at 7 10/.. – Miss H- feverish and not quite well – lassitude in her limbs – lay on the sofa – Coffee at 8 1/2 – Afterwards a little music while I read, then and afterwards, the first 42 pages, volume 2, Memoirs of Lavalette – From 10 to 11 5/.., read aloud from 277 to 338, end of chapter 25 volume iv, Gibbon, and came to my room at 11 1/4 –

A moment in her room to wish goodnight. No kiss tonight or last ditto, but very good friends. I poured out coffee while she lay on the sofa, and while toasting her a little rice cake, I said, you will feel quite odd at first on returning to Lady Stuart.  Answer, she will be so accustomed to be without me she won’t care to have you. Said I thoughtlessly, you would not like to live with one who did not care for you.  I think, said she, I should do as well as anyone to live with anybody who was agreeable and kind without all that devotedness.  I speak only of faulings [frauleins] (that is German for Misses), of living with my sister,  as I thought she said, but which I now fancy I perhaps mistook? Perhaps she said Miss Lister? Be that, however, as it may, I instantly replied rather gravely and decidedly, Oh, that is very unlikely.  Had I at the moment thought she said Miss Lister, I should have made no reply at all; yet perhaps it was as well she should have some idea that I at least have no idea of the thing – I have been very kind and attentive all today and this evening as she was not quite well, but she mistakes both me and human nature much if she thinks my fancy for living with her is on the increase. By [When] April comes, I shall be ready enough to be off and tho preserving all due decencies of appearances as to regrets, it will not, I think, break my heart to part.

Fine day – Rather windy during the day, but very high wind now at 11 3/4 p.m. F 63°at 11 25/.. in my room with a fire and in the balcony now at 12 1/4 tonight stands at 49° – 25 minutes (till 12 55/..) writing out active voice of the verb Loben –

WYAS Finding Number  SH:7/ML/E/14/0164