Friday, March 2, 1832
1832 March
Friday
2
10
12
40/..
Finish
morning. F 57 1/2° at 10 in my room and
40° at 10 3/4 in the balcony –
Mr.
Duke came at 11 – Thinks Miss Hobart will be quite well in 2 or 3 days. She is certainly very much better this
morning –
Breakfast
and reading the newspaper from 11 10/.. to 12 –
From twelve and
ten minutes till two and then from three and ten minutes till four, wrote 3 pages
and end, and first page crossed, to Mariana –
Miss
H- downstairs – Went and sat on the sofa by her from 2 to 3 10/.. – She is very
much better but has still a little of the spasmodic pain in the region of the
left side – tho’ the blue pill and hyoscyamus pills yesterday morning did her
an infinity of good –
In
answer to Mariana, after 1/2 page of chit chat –
‘I
quite enter into all you say about the unfortunate quarrel, and grieve over it
exceedingly – Perhaps it is neither likely, nor natural, that Mr. Crewe should
forget very easily so provoking and unprovoked an annoyance – It may, perhaps
it must, have disclosed many things with regard to Charles which had been
better unknown’; and a feeling of interest and sympathy is the common
consolation of the aggrieved –
‘But
time does wonders, and , by and by, perhaps the keenness even of this unlucky
business may be worn away – So not despair – Mr. Wood may not be the only
gainer – something very especially conciliatory may by and by be done for you,
too; and all things may turn out much better than you expect – In fact, Mary,
the moment I begin to reason with myself, I always look on the bright side; and
my conviction is daily strengthened that all things work together for good’ –
Then
observed on her Sunday School – delighted at her doing so much good -- . . . .
‘This
day week it will be 16 years since that day of Doom that sealed so many fates
by ‘yours! What scope for musing! Will
you think of it, when the morning comes? How easy it seems to me to recall the
whole as if it had been but yesterday! How strange a dream is life! My eye insensibly glances on your
plans, not Lady Stuart’s, for she certainly never gave it thought – How
odd the thing looks in writing! I can
scarce help laughing – How grotesque the fashion you would give my destiny!
But, Mary, I do not feel old enough yet – I am determined not to be so at my
wits’ end – You shall hear of some plan or other of my own, before the 3
months’ end –
I
should probably have been at Shibden all this while had Marian’s domestic
system permitted – All you say would be very well, if my aunt was not there –
But there is the difficulty – to her the not seeing more of me, is a real privation;
yet I feel as if she would rather I did not go at all, than go merely for an
uncomfortable day or 2 – I should be within 60 miles of her, at Lawton – Indeed,
indeed, Mary, that would be very awkward, to say nothing of my increased
anxiety to be at Lawton – since that memorable plague of
the bug, and the martyrdom of Mr. Wood – I really do not think I can make up my
mind so soon to jeopardize your house again
–
If
you are at an Inn at Leamington, that will make a difference – But why can you
not put yourself into the mail, and come to me for a few days? You need not be more than a week away – I
should see you much more comfortably, and would meet you anywhere not too far
on my way homewards – There is a comfortable Inn at Saint Albans – Do think of
this – You must have some pity for me, as well as Mr. Crewe – and remember
that, were you in my place, you would not relish the idea of Lawton less than
12 months after that terrible to-do – I do not say I will never go there
again, but I have not had quite time enough to digest it thoroughly as yet’ –
As
I cannot be with her or at Shibden, what better can I do than go abroad – Mrs. Norcliffe
has asked my plans – Rosamund Robinson writes for her – Have engaged Francesco
Bado from some time next month, of which he is to have a fortnight’s notice. But I shall not attempt to fix anything till
I know whether you can possibly come to me for a few days, or not’ – She
makes me melancholy by seeming so uncertain of my living at Shibden. Hope she is not prophetic – Often think of
her saying ‘Pull it down at once’ –
Mention
Miss Hobart’s having been confined to her bed the last 3 days – Up today and
better, but, of course, not the stronger for blistering etc.’ She got cold on
Monday – I think bile had as much to do with it as anything else’ –
What
will Mariana do if she feels anything of cholera? -- . . .
‘God
bless you, my dearest Mary! – At my wits’ end or not, I am always very especially
and entirely your A L’ –
3/4
hour (from 4 to 4 3/4) writing all the above of today – From 5 to 6 1/4,
wrote 2 1/4 pages to Mrs. Norcliffe
–
Dressed – downstairs at 6 50/.. – Dinner at 7 alone (Miss H- had had her little dinner at 5) in 20 minutes – Coffee at 8 1/2 – played and lost, from 9 to 10, two hits at backgammon – Mr. Duke came at 9 – Miss H- much better, but not without pain at intervals –
She
had had box from London this afternoon with law papers, etc. – Sat reading them
this evening before coffee – and after Miss H- went to bed. It seems
the Irish estates came from Sir Cecil Wray of Branston in Lincolnshire, who
left them to his natural daughter, Ann Casey, who married Lord Vere
Bertie and was mother of Miss H-’s grandmother, Albinia, Countess of
Buckinghamshire, and of Lady Stuart, which last had six thousand pounds out
of the aforesaid Irish estates in the county of Limerick –
Miss
H- left me at 10 – Went to her at 10 3/4 and sat by her bedside till 11 20/.. –
Then left her 1/2 asleep and came to my room – Read over Mr. Frampton’s
abstract of Irish Estates Settlement deed of January, 1791, and wrote the last
9 lines –
Finish
day – F 59° now at 11 50/.. p.m. in my room and 39 at 12/35/.. in the balcony
--
WYAS
Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/15/0033 and SH:7/ML/E/15/0034
Comments
Post a Comment