Wednesday, January 29, 1840

1840

January

Wednesday 29

9 5/..

2

Ready in an hour – Very fine, sunny morning; Réaumur 12 1/4° at my bedhead and not quite 12° on the console and Réaumur -2° dehors now at 9 10/.. a.m.

Then wrote note to ‘A Marc Esquire’ to ask him to cash circular £25, No. 8591, and to let me know the exchange of Moscow upon Paris. 

Willing to pay 76 francs in Russian money = 38 francs, Grotza’s washing at 2 francs per week since 10 May last – Asked her this morning if she had got a place, No! but Mrs. Kay and Mrs. Howard were inquiring for one for her – I asked how she went on with Gross – Answer “as usual” – I said ‘Well! it is very melancholy – Sometimes things end better than they appear to promise – It is all that can be hoped’ – and I said not one syllable more on the subject – but by and by asked the name of her sister’s husband, Mr. Manning, working jeweller near Oxford Street London –

Breakfast at 9 40/.. – And had Mrs. Howard and pothering and waiting –

Out at 11 1/2 in the kibitka – Only one horse – Turned back – Had a 2nd horse put to – Then stopt on the Tverskaia boulevard at the man’s place and had a 3rd horse put to –

Then chez Madame Ocouloff – sortie – left cards – then to the Gastinoi Dvor – bought cloth to cover our mattresses, and coutil (ticking) for more carriage pockets –

Then long hunt after No. 137 (in the passage fronting the monument), bought two portmanteaus tchemodans, 24/., paid 23/50 – Long while trying them in the kibitka – How to place them – They must go in the servants’ kibitka –

Then (in vain) hunting for hatbox – Then chez Scmen – Case to be made for Ann and Oldcop’s Russian and French dictionary to be bound by Saturday night –

Then back to the city for black worst?  Could not find the shop before and at last not where we had been before with Leopold –

Then to Maikoff’s for black galloon – Bad galloon, but good shop –

Home at 4 1/2 – Tried my portmanteau – It will hold the dresses (5 or 6) –

Walked about – Dressed – Dinner at 6 20/.. – Before quite over, civil note from Princess Tcherkaski, asking me to dinner at 4 tomorrow – Answer will go – Vide other end of the book –

Then wrote all but the first 9 1/2 lines of today till now 7 1/2 – Then at accounts and paid Gross 10/. in full of letter to Mariana 21st instante mense and shoes soling while we were at Troitza and owe him nothing more –

Received on coming home Mr. Marc’s exchange at 21/. = 525/. for the £25 sent this morning – Mr. Marc on the point of setting off to St. Petersburg and will be absent 3 weeks – ‘The exchange between Moscow and Paris is about 113 francs for 100 Rouble Banknotes for trifling sums of 10 to 80 francs, for which a draft at sight must be given.’

Tea at 8 – Ann low today and queer tempered now since tea and that I have told her the exchange upon Paris.  Why do I ever mention anything of importance to her  Why ever forget myself into fancying her companionable without reserve.  Try to say nothing of this sort and fix everything without one syllable of inquiry or doubt to her.

Then till 1 1/2, looking over papers in papers box and sorting out and leaving it ready for our going away –

Fine day; Réaumur 14° on my table, at which I have been standing and 12 3/4 on the console now at 1 35/.. Tonight.

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/23/0190 and SH:7/ML/E/23/0191