Thursday, March 1, 1832

1832 March

Thursday 1

7 3/4

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1/4 hour with Miss Hobart.  Better, finish morning F 56° at 8 5/.. in my room and 41° at 9 1/4 in the balcony –

Letter from Messers Rawson of the 27th instante mense saying they had ordered the payment of £300 to Hammersley and that ‘tho’ it is quite out of our line of business to give extensive credits except in commercial transactions, we will swerve from our usual routine in the present instance to oblige you and shall order a credit to be lodged with Hammersley and Company in your favor for £2000 for the space of 12 months – There can be no charge made to you for such a transaction but the usual commission in any sums taken out.’ –

Letter also 3 pages from Mrs. – Robinson, Rosamund Best that was, for Mrs. Norcliffe whose right hand has been for some weeks laid up in the gout – Thinks I should think her long in writing – Fancies quarantine will prevent my going abroad – Want to know my plans – Very kind letter –

Went out at 9 1/4 – Walked (reading French vocabulary) to 1/2 mile beyond the 2nd milestone London road – In returning, turned right along the fields a little on this side the 2nd milestone and came out at the turnpike – 1st time of doing this – Pleasant along the fields – Not much nearer –

Home at 11 5/.. The 2 Messers Duke here – Just spoke to them – They think Miss H- better but have properly ordered her 2 blue pills of, I think, 2 grams hydrargyrum and 4 grams hyoscyamus in each pill, to be taken immediately and 2 hours afterwards a castor-oil draught – This, I think, will do –

A little while with Miss H- – breakfast from 11 1/2 to 12 with Miss H-, then dressed – Asleep in my room from 1 to 2 – Then with Miss H- till 3 1/2 – when the pill operated and she was better. Just saw her again and left her to sleep.  

Wrote the above of today – From 4 to 5, wrote a 1/2 sheet note full to Lady Stuart --  Had I known of Vere’s writing yesterday, should not have consented – Would have written myself instead of waiting till today –

‘My great anxiety has been not to make you unnecessarily uneasy – I know too well, and grieve too sincerely over, the state of unpleasant suffering you yourself are in not to save you all I can about our dear Vere – She is decidedly better this afternoon and Mr. Duke, whose attention has been unremitting, gives great hope of her being quite recovered in a few days.

‘This is the 3rd day she has been confined to her bed, in consequence, as we suppose, (for no other reason can ‘be thought of) of the rain being rather colder when we walked on Monday, than it had been for some days ‘before – This, tho’ unperceived at the moment, must have occasioned some little chill, and hence the ‘membranous ‘or muscular’ pains in the left side, which, tho’ not alarming because attended with remarkably little fever, occasioned distressing catchings of the breath, and severe and continued suffering – This has, however, yielded to blistering and blue pill; and I very conscientiously assure you, there is no reason for you to make yourself ‘uneasy –

 I think Vere will be well enough to get up and write herself tomorrow; but you shall certainly hear from her or me – Everybody has great confidence in Mr. Duke, and so have we in Norbury, who is a very attentive nurse; and we all do all we can – I fear, however, that all our care has been unable to do much towards subduing the symptoms for which we came here – I see no amendment as to expectoration, nor any strength gained – I leave her many hours during the day when she is well, finding that she would otherwise talk more than she ought – I trust, however, that this month over, she may be better –

Very little more. Ever, my dear Lady Stuart, affectionately and very truly yours,

 A Lister 

All the above copied after dressing from what I first wrote, then wrote a second a little altered from the first.  Sent off my letter at 6 to the Honorable Lady Stuart Whitehall under cover to ‘Lord Stuart de Rothesay, 3 Saint James’s Square. London’ –

Dressed at 6 10/..  Mr. Duke came just before dinner – Miss H- better – Dinner in 25 minutes –

With Miss H- all the evening – She came to my room while her bed was made – Then staid with her till she was near asleep, and left her at 10 40/.. Very good friends.  She lets me kiss her now pretty frequently without saying much against it, but she shall not do so when she is well again –

Read from page 74 to end of page 111, and end of Chapter 44, Volume 8, Gibbon on the Jurisprudence of Justinian, the only part of the work I had skipped over at Miss H-’s request.  She thinking Law dry – Then making small notes from Volume 8 Gibbon till 12 40/.., at which hour, F 63° in my room and 44° at 1 10/.. tonight in the balcony – fine day –

WYAS Finding Number  SH:7/ML/E/15/0033