Friday, March 26, 1830

1830

March

Friday 26

7 10/..

12 1/4

Fahrenheit 46° at 7 3/4 a.m. –

Went out (walked) at 8 35/.. Round about way to furniture shop beyond Dupuytren’s, Place de L’Eglise Saint–Germain l’Auxerrois – Thought the things in general dear – 1/2 dozen good strong common chaises en paille d’occasion, at 18/. and a small round noyer table à diner 11/., not worth more than 14/. new –

Then went to rue Traversière St. Honoré, No. 41 – Things really reasonable there, as said Madame Droz – who recommended the place – Little round mahogany washstands 20/. and ditto table de nuit 20/.  A nice new mahogany bookcase with green silk curtains 80/., really cheap – Small tables à thé with marble, new 45/.? but new, strong bottomed chairs good (en cerisier or noyer) 5/. (said 5/50 at first and that these chairs would be elsewhere 6/50, as I found to be correct – Very nice little table à marbre with a leather top, the other side covered with cloth making a bureau, breakfast or card table 45/. –

Sauntered home and came in at 11 20/.. – Breakfast in a few minutes – Had a little nap – Wrote the above of today till 12 25/.. –

Wrote the last end of my letter to Mariana written last night – Nothing in it of importance – On the subject of little Mariana, have merely observed ‘I really think you are right to have given up the idea of sending little Mariana to school – I should take it for granted, that, as soon as Steph knows your willingness to help him in doing this as far as £50 a year, he will not hesitate to do as you wish, and will leave the choice of the school entirely to you –

I am glad to hear so good an account of her progress in music and French, and trust that, in the year you hope to keep her with you, you will be able to correct the natural faults of her temper’ –

Commonplace, kind enough letter.  No professions of affection.  Have concluded my end this morning with ‘God bless you, dearest, I think of you perpetually’ I cannot bring myself to more. I sometimes doubt whether I want to see her or not for a visit.  I dread her complaint and this makes me more than indifferent.  I never sat so loosely towards her as I do now.  How little she thinks it.

Then wrote one end of my aunt’s sheet of 3 pages and one end to Marian to beg her to tell John I was glad he wrote, much pleased with so good an account of everything and ‘very well satisfied with his son’s handwriting – I only wish the spelling was as good as the writing’ – Think he had better go to school another 1/2 year and attend particularly to spelling and accounts –

My aunt has never till now written to Marian except in my absence since we came to France –

Then wrote pretty small and close 1 page and the 2 ends to Miss MacLean – in answer to hers of Monday, and to enclose Madame Galvani’s letter to ‘Miss Paxton, Honorable Mrs. Leeson’s, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, Angleterre,’ directed by myself –

Nothing particular to Miss MacLean – Say she has some chance of seeing Mrs. Lawton and she does not give her a loupe ‘one of those little round magnifying glasses, 4 or 5 of which are set in one horn frame, such as watchmakers use, – Do get me one of the very best to be had at the best opticians in London’ – Ask, too, for a little Johnson’s English dictionary, price 3/6 bound and for ‘a pair of good surgical scissors’ –

Sent by George to the post office at 2 10/.. my letter to ‘Mrs. Lawton, 16 South Parade, Leamington, Warwickshire, Angleterre’, and my aunt’s letter  and my one end of it to ‘Miss Marian Lister, Shibden hall, Halifax, Yorkshire, Angleterre’

Sealed up Madame Galvani’s letter in my 1/2 sheet to ‘Miss Maclean, 41 Harley Street’ which left at the embassy en passant at 3 1/4 –

At 2 40/.., letter  3 pages the ends and under the seal from Mrs. James Dalton, Croft Rectory – no date – acknowledging the receipt of veil which is just what she wanted – All well – Cecil in deacon’s orders, and till he can get something better doing duty as his father’s curate – The letter so internally tumbled, it must have been turned inside out and read – but never was a better letter for post-office people to open – Not a word of home or foreign politics – Nothing but mere home humdrum,chitchat interesting only to one who knows and likes the writer –

Had just written the above at 2 3/4 – Changed my dress, put on merinos that I have not worn of I know not how long, the marceline gown I had made to travel in, tho turned being now worn shiny –

My aunt with me – off at 3 10/.. – vide line 11 above – Sent letter to Miss MacLean to the Embassy –

Then drove to No. 11, Passage des Panoramas, and gave my leghorn chapeau de paille to be done up –

Then to my little apartment rue du Jardin du Roi – Measuring for curtains etc. 

In passing along rue Copeau out, left the carriage a little in advance and went into a little shop No. 12 – Bought a kitchen table and a small noyer table, and went with the people to take them to my apartment – All which took a long time –

Then went to the Collège de St. Barbe – Saw little de Hagemann.  To come on Sunday –

Then in returning, stopped at shop place de l’Église de Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois – Bought the 6 chairs at 18/. and the bibliothèque à 33/. – All this took above 1/2 hour –

Then home at 7 10/.. – Dressed – Dinner at 7 25/.. – Came to my room at 9 1/4 – On returning, found letter, 3 pages and ends (hurried), from Miss MacLean, 41 Harley Street – Says nothing particularly of herself nor what day she will leave London – Has got and paid for my books from Sowerby – ‘Sowerby says that ‘Conversations on Vegetable Physiology’ is nonsense, and that if you knew his opinion of it, you would not purchase it’ –

Little note enclosed from Miss Hobart – She did not mean to have written, but Lady Stuart not well enough to write and said she, Miss Hobart, must thank me for ‘the beautiful lamp’ – . . . ‘She liked your lamp of all things, and lighted it up several times for the pleasure and amusement of seeing it’ – ’Tis well – I have had the mortification of seeing prettier lamps since – e.g. this morning in the rue Neuve des Petit Champs, and very pretty en bronze rue de Richelieue –

I fear Lady Stuart is far very far from well – Her foot ‘does not begin to heal the least, and looks like a small deep hole into which you might lay a small pea – Dr. Clarke had seen it, and thought little of it, but prescribed chiefly for her liver and other pains’ –

Wrote the last 19 lines – and coffee at 9 50/.. – Came to my room at 10 50/.., at which hour, Fahrenheit 57°.  Very fine, warm, sunny day – Talked this evening to my aunt of mere chance it is whether Mariana and I ever come together –

 

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/13/0017 and SH:7/ML/E/13/0018