Wednesday, February 27, 1839

1839

February

Wednesday 27

8

12 5/..

X

Last night thinking of π Mariana.

Fine but dullish morning; Fahrenheit 42° inside at 9 5/.. Breakfast at 9 1/4 in 1/2 hour –

Had Mark Hepworth about the Northgate hotel road job – and George Naylor to have his bill paid for carting stone for the Steam Engine house – Paid him and talked a little of politics and tanning machinery – George asked how Mark Town was going on, for he could not get paid for carting tillage for him – I said he always paid his rent as well as any tenant I had –

From about 10 1/5 to after 2 p.m. (Had Ann for a little while between 1 and 2), looking over plan-box and drawers and papers and Journal respecting the Mr. Bull-business –

Had Oddy up – She came to ask for the store-room door key – Read her a longish sermon on order and regularity.  Said I did not mean to find fault – Desired her not to fret – I should ask Miss Walker to keep the key of the store-room for the present – Till I thought she, Oddy, had learnt to think and put her keys in her pocket –

With Robert the joiner near an hour till 3 1/2 about placing the gallery so that the balustrade might come right, between the 2 great pillars – Then wrote the above of today till 3 3/4 – and went out, meaning to go to Halifax, but some time talking to Robert Mann, he and William Lord soiling the slope of the embankment along the back road by throwing down the soil laid on the top last summer –

Finding Holt was just gone to Listerwick, went there – Instead of the boiler end of the flue being lowered as Holt had told me it was to be, and I told Booth I wished it to be, Wood had set his boiler to suit the flue unlowered, and thus the top of the flue is even with the surface, and must be banked over –

A thorough blow-up – Had Holt, Booth, and Joseph Mann, the latter proved his words that he had filled up according to Booth’s orders 8 1/2 inches or 8 inches to the top of the brick-floor – i.e., deducting 5 inches for the thickness of the brick, he had filled up 3 or 3 1/2 inches.  Holt and I made it 5 inches that he filled up – A wrangling about this between Booth and Joseph Mann, in which the latter seemed to have the better of it –

I never blew-up [at] Booth but twice in my life, and both times about this flue – The other day before Ann (Booth being with her in her sitting room) when I first saw the flue commenced in this way, and now this afternoon when I saw that not only was it not lowered, but that Booth had not prevented the boiler being set to suit the flue unlowered.  Told Booth he was of no use but to see that things were done as I wished – The fault was his – 

Very much annoyed – This terrible blow-up was before them all, for a smart shower of driving sleety rain brought all at last into the cabin, and when it was fairer I made all 3 (Holt, Booth, and Joseph Mann) measure what had been filled up – Booth, as I told, had told me there should be 18 inches cover over the flue even where least covered, and now it is level with the surface – Wood proposed lowering the flue 9 inches up against the boiler flue so as to give us 9 inches more cover – Said this would do no harm at all – Came away much annoyed –

Came home soon after 5 – Some time with Ann – Wrote out the 5 last lines of page 251 and the 8 first of page 252 – Dinner at 6 3/4 – Ann read French – Tea – Read the double newspaper – Then wrote the last 23 lines of today till 10 35/..

Fine morning, and till between 2 and 3 p.m.  Afterwards, showers of driving sleety rain –

Ann went to Cliff hill this afternoon but not yesterday –

Fahrenheit 40° inside at 10 3/4 and high wind, and Fahrenheit 35° outside at 11 p.m.

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/22/0131