Friday, January 15, 1836

1836

January

Friday 15

7 5/..

11 1/2

No kiss.

Ready in an hour.  Dressed Ann’s back – Nearly well yet she is not in good sorts.  I shall be glad to get rid of her by and by.  If my aunt recovers so as to live some years, what I shall or can do is uncertain, but I think Ann will not be with me forever –

Fine morning, F 34° at 8 25/.. a.m.

With Robert Mann + 3 at the scale shifting – But came in at 8 50/.. and made breakfast – Ann came at 9 10/.. – Had read a few pages, from page 102 to 112, of Milne Edwards’ Éléments de Zoologie – Breakfast till Ann left me at 9 3/4 –Then 1 20/.. hour with my father and Marian – She mending my gloves – Said I calculated the Lodge and road to cost a thousand pounds before both were quite completed –

Out at 11 5/.. – With Robert Mann – and with Frank, cleaning out open drain behind the walk-sunkwall till 12 1/4 – Then at Whiskum quarry – More of John Bottomley’s wall fallen down –

Returned home – Sent Frank off to the quarry with the bay horse and grey to fetch the wall-stones down to rubble the new road.  At home determined to get fresh stone for John Bottomley –

Snow showers and occasional small driving rain from 11 to 12, but fine and a little sunshine while I was at the quarry – Frank could scarce be got there before the afternoon became snowy and stormy – High wind and winterly – Long and heavyish snow showers and occasional hail showers, yet staid out till 4 3/4 with one or other –

At the tailgoit – With Joseph Mann draining and trenching in the clay taken from the drain in Pearson’s Riding –

Holt came to me – will be here again on Tuesday morning – had seen the Machans, but can make nothing of them – The moment they all meet they ‘begin to fratch,’ but they promised to give Holt a note on Monday specifying in writing what they mean to have for the coal – Holt thinks it will be £700 – Very well, said I, you must article (i.e. sign the agreement that the purchase is to be made) and get done with the business as well as you can – Mr. Rawson about the coal; but Holt sure he will not give £700 for it – No matter – I want to make sure – They are now for taking Holt’s advice and selling the coal without the farm – Said if I gave £700 I must have the privilege of sinking two pits – Yes! Holt said he had bargained for that – They think he is buying for himself, as they said he should come to me for a loose – Holt thinks we can tub and thus get rid of the old works upper bed without driving a drift exprès down to Mytholm, which would cost a hundred pounds –

Stood some time over John Booth putting ashes over the dunghillstead, ready for receiving the dunghill –

Came in at 4 3/4 – Dressed in 25 minutes –

Just saw Ann.  She said she was better, but had been very poorly in head and neck.  She is still not in the best sorts.  Perhaps she wants more of my company and devotion.  How can such a person retain either? I care not much.  If I did, she would make me miserable –

Wrote the above of today till 5 1/2 –

Then had Joseph Mann.  Wanted his 1st Whiskum bar paper to see what George Naylor had to pay – Some time talking to Joseph –

Then dinner at 6 1/4 – Coffee – Ann too poorly to speak, so came to lie on the sofa upstairs while I was 3/4 hour with my father and Marian –

Then 3/4 hour with Ann – Better – She read her page of French to me –

With my aunt from 9 16/.. to 9 3/4.  When she went to bed, stood over looking over catalogue of books in last Gentleman’s Magazine till 10 5/.., at which hour, F 33 1/2° and fair, but high wind – Very wintry, snowy, windy, wild day –

 

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/18/0161