Tuesday, January 2, 1827

1827

January

Tuesday 2

7

11 55/60

very rainy morning Fahrenheit  45      at       8                           a.m.

                                                   ––––––       10 1/2                   –

                                                   37°    –        10 1/4                   p.m.

In my room at 7 55/60 – Awakened by heavy rain about 6 1/2 –

From 8 to 9 20/60 (settled accounts and wrote out index from 3 to 16 last month) settled with the washerwoman –

‘N’oublier pas l’etrenne’ – Asked her what I should give her. ‘C’est selon la volonté.’ Said I did not understand these things – Would ask Mrs. Barlow and give whatever she gave; next Monday – On this, the woman said she had not seen Mrs. Barlow but if everyone gave a little it made something – Would I give a franc, or 1/50 – I then gave her 1/50, with which she seemed very well satisfied –

George, though twice told to have my fire lighted by 8, did not come till 8 25/60 – Told him (he would see I was annoyed) it was strange he could not get up in time to light my fire by 8; if he was ill, and unable to do his work, I must send him home – If not, this was the 3rd time of telling him, and I should not tell him much after –

Ordered breakfast at 9 1/2 – Wrote the above of this morning, and had just done at 9 35/60 – Finished dressing –

Breakfast not brought till 9 40/60 – Told George he must really be punctual and get up sooner in a morning, to which he so civilly said yes, I was satisfied –

Read the advertisements in Galignani – Breakfast at 10 5/60 – Done at 10 25/60 –

Went out at 10 40/60 – Talked a few minutes to my aunt –

Then to Quai Voltaire – Mrs. Barlow come to me – Left a message with Jane for Madame Galvani – To tell her I had almost given up the thought of the apartment, finding it a story higher than I thought –82 steps – and to beg her not to meet me today –

In returning, met Mrs. Barlow in the gardens.  Saw her at a distance, waddling at a fine rate. Said I to myself, is that she.  If it is, I am ashamed of her –

Mrs. Barlow and I went immediately to the apartment – Walked all round the new buildings in that quarter – Went into No. __ rue de la Ferme – The premier 2000/. a year with remise – Would just suit us –

Then went to 2 or 3 apartments over the way – 1000/. dearer, would not suit us so well –

At 12 50/60 went to the apartment I saw on Sunday – Saw all over it – Superior apartment to the other – Saw Monsieur and Madame their 2 daughters and niece, all nice girls – The 2 former pretty, 14 and 15 – Good deal of conversation about the apartment – He agreed to take 3000/. a year including taxes, éclairage, porter and everything, and to furnish –

We were just going away when it began to rain and snow – The daughters played a duet on the piano – Then Monsieur sang an Italian song – Madame very civil and attentive – Begged Monsieur not to lose an opportunity of letting the apartment, but I would think about it and let him know if I meant to take it as soon as possible – We must have been considerably above an hour there –

Thence to Michel’s for Mrs. Barlow to get something to eat – A heavy snow shower came on again – detained us there a long while –

Went into the rue Neuve de Luxembourg for a fiacre – Not one there – Had to return – Did not cross the rue St. Honoré (so many carriages passing, and on getting to the rue Castiglione, the channel across the street so full of water, crossed with difficulty – Meant to have looked at a premier in the rue Florentin, but the snow made us hurry through the gardens to Voltaire –

Got there a few minutes before 4 – Mrs. Barlow, tired, lay down – Got into bed, and I lay down by her.  She would have her hand in my drawers, and I lay quite by her, talking of the apartments.  Said I knew not how it was, I did not feel that boiling passion I did in general.  No, said she, your mind is occupied, and, like a man, you therefore are diverted from the other.

At last she got on the subject of my letters.  Said plainly I would not give her hers without she gave me mine.  She said the letter from Buxton arrived two days too late.  Argued again how it was impossible for π [Mariana] to have opened it.  She persisted. 

Said her so persevering in such suspicions was unreasonable, unjust, insane,  reminded me of poor Eliza Raines persisting in it that Louisa Belcombe had listened at the door at Langton.   She said how unkind I had been to say a suspicious person was to be suspected (this has stuck in her throat).  I said the world would say, if the cap fitted, put it on.  This annoyed her.  Again she raved about my thinking all of her, having no confidence in her, etc. etc.  I said she would distract me at last.  I should buy a brace of pistols and blow my brains out. 

And thus I left Mrs. Barlow at 6 5/60 and got home at 6 25/60 – Nearly fair – Only a little rain just as I got home –

Dinner at 6 35/60 – McDonald had told my aunt George was a great deal out – Had not assisted her so much these last 10 days – Then said I should be cautious what I listened to from McDonald, mentioning Miss Reed’s last letter and the pint of ale every afternoon at Shibden and the prevarication about it – My aunt glad I had told her, but will take no notice at present –

Came to the drawing room at 8 1/2 – In the evening, wrote all but the 1st 10 lines of today –

On coming in, the porter’s wife said Madame Galvani had called to tell me I was not exact – She had waited for me on the terrace in the gardens from 12 1/2 to one –

Rainy snowy afternoon from about 2 p.m.  Very rainy morning till after 9 – Fair from about 10 to 2 –

Came to my room at 10 10/60 –

 

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/10/0041