Tuesday, February 12, 1833

1833

February

Tuesday 12

8 35/..

11 50/..

Very fine morning till 9, then rainy –

Breakfast with Marian at 9 40/.. F 47° at 9 a.m. – Then a little with my aunt and came upstairs at 11 20/.. Settling my accounts with Cordingley till 12 40/..  – From 1 to 3 40/.., wrote 3 pages and ends and under seal to Vere –

Interrupted a little by the Southowram Surveyor to say, from Abraham Hemingway, there would be a town’s meeting at 11 a.m. tomorrow about the inditing of the Siddal Lane road, and beg me to attend if I could – Thinking I should name my intention of making the new road along Bairstow above John Bottomley’s – Said I was much obliged to Hemingway for sending, and sorry I should be particularly engaged tomorrow and could not go to the meeting, but that I should have said nothing about the new road, as I had named it to Mr. Freeman and found the Southowram people had rather not have anything to do with it – and as I thought myself doing them a favor, not they doing me one, I should say no more about it, but merely make a common cart road for my own land –

Off in a hurry at 3 3/4, down my walk to meet Miss Walker.  Not there – walked to Lidgate, brought her back with me all along the Godley road and my deep cutting thro’ Trough of Bolland Wood along the field to the house at 5 1/4, then left her with my aunt and came upstairs to send off my letter –

Said I should have written by return of post, but received Vere’s letter just as I was going from home for a few days – ‘Trust me, I am never likely to be anxious to seem to know more of anything than you yourself have told me, – satisfied that you will tell me (in your own good time) whatever you wish me to know –

That you are so well is an excellent sign; and I congratulate you, and you all, with a deeper and more affectionate sincerity than can belong to anyone whose interest for you is not that which passeth shew –

On the subject of your return, I neither wonder at your own indecision at the time you wrote, nor at Lady Northland’s declining to give advice; for she knows well enough how much depends upon a person’s own natural fancy – I am glad you have now such plenty of connaissances, and enjoy yourself so much.

‘You will have fine weather too, and will get out every day, and be inclined to stay out, and almost live out of doors, the best thing for us all’ –

Count upon seeing her somewhere before they go to the Highlands – Perhaps in London in May – She will have heard the change in my plans from Lady Stuart – Impossible to get off before May – ‘My aunt has not been so well of late, and tho’ she is now better, her wishes are so urgent, that I could not reconcile it to myself to leave her now’ –

Shall tell her, Vere, my plans as soon as I know them myself – ‘The being kept home till the end of May, and seeing you in London, might probably make some change in the direction of my journeying, in its commencement’ –

Struck with her remark upon having trusted to the same hands as before to set up my new establishment –

Glad she had written so long a letter to Lady Harriet. ‘Many more unlikely things have happened than my seeing her chez elle before the 12 month’s end’ –

Shall get all the books Vere recommended – Long to see Vesuvius and Ætna – can one see all in Rome in 3 weeks? Wish I could be in Paris in April – But for road making and planting etc. I had merely vegetated. But honestly and truly, my dearest Vere, the sight of you, so well and happy as you are, would rouse me back into new life, and every feeling that could be agreeable –

By the way, I do not want to promise too much; but, if you are ever calling over names for a Supernumerary promisee of just 3 things, do not pass me by, unless, which is always probable, you have a host of others nearer, and better – I only hope you will not have left Rome before my letter arrives . . . . .

How does the journal go on? I shall beg some little scraps if I can – the little book you wrote me at  Hastings is inestimable – the very sight of it would cure me of vapors at any time –

‘Remember me now and then, and when you do, think that time will not wear away the ever anxious and affectionate regard of yours very faithfully,

AL –’

Wrote all but the 1st 4 lines of today and sealed and directed my letter to ‘The Lady Vere Cameron poste restante à Rome, Italia’ and left it for the post and went down to Miss W- and off back to Lidgate with her at 5 55/.., and there in 40 minutes at 6 35/.. –

Dinner – then tea – Botany in the evening – She a little on the amoroso.

Came upstairs at 10 3/4 and to my room at 11.  We slept in her own room over the drawing room and not in the orange room as of late –

Fine day and evening –

 

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/16/0016 and SH:7/ML/E/16/0017