| Description | [Diary Transcription]
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have no grounds to rest upon, then act as you think right and best, possibly the reasons which occurred to me did not
present themselves to you — I think them insuperable — the other party ought to be considered a little — ’ Mr. Charles Lawton has some
symptoms of gout which he does not like — they will probably go to Harrogate — he has given up the hounds,
and let his farm — wrote all but the 1st 1 1/2 line of today which took me from 12 25/60 to 1 — from then to 2 1/2 wrote 1 1/4
page very small and close to M- [Mariana] Madame Galvani came at 2 1/2, and staid till 5 — Mrs. Barlow came in for a minute or 2 to ask her about a servant
Thérèse being again very ill, and being recommended to go home — speaking of society here Madame Galvani said I could not live in the world
it would not suit me — I must spend all my mornings in making calls and all my evenings at Soirées — I could not well always
deny myself in a morning — mentioned Mrs. Baring’s calling on the princess de Beauveau in the hotel where Mrs. Barlow is
(rue des Champs Elysées No. [Number] 6) — Yes! Money could do everything — Mrs. Baring might call on the princess, because she was au rez-
de-Chaussée, and, in such great hotels, the rez-de-Chaussée was as expensive, or more so than the premier, so that Mrs. Baring might call
might she had as good, or a better apartment — but if Mrs. Barlow had called who was above the princess (had not so
good an apartment) — the princess might think it extraordinary that she should call, and might have returned her card and denied herself in future — and here the
matter would end — In France one must have a handsome apartment au 1er [au premier] ou au 2nde. [seconde] and a grand staircase — asked
if I wished to visit, and give a great ball if I could not hire a room to give it in — No! this never done by the grande monde [high society] — it would
not do — I must have an apartment where I could give it at home, or nobody would come — But if I had a handsome apartment
and a certain establishment and chose to give a ball I might call on, and invite, and in fact thus visit whom I chose — such was
the custom in France — wrote the last 12 1/2 lines — resumed my letter to M- [Mariana] and had just written a line or 2 when
Mrs. Barlow came in — at 5 1/2 — Jane at the Senés’ — Madame Sené with my aunt this afternoon, and took Jane to see her daughters —
Mrs. Barlow said she could not say I saw she would have no objection to a little grubbling right middle finger up while
she was standing she then sidled to the sofa and I did it well for her — Jane came in to me about 6 25/60 — and she and Mrs. Barlow
staid with me till 6 40/60 — Dinner at 6 3/4 — Left the dining room at 8 35/60 and wished goodnight — settled with George and my accounts
from 9 to 12 3/4 wrote the latter 3/4 page 2, page 3, and the ends very small and close and finished my letter to M- [Mariana]
Friday 30
7 1/2
11 10/60
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My bowels as if the magnesia had not yet been quite forgotten by them — finished dressing — did not hurry — at my desk at 9 — wrote
very small and close under the seal and a few lines across one end — about Mrs. Barlow ‘She occasionally inquires after you, and told me
some time ago, that, if she were sure of your real and disinterested regard for me, and that you would make me happy, she should
‘no longer feel any dislike, but anxious only for my welfare, should rejoice at the prospect of your suiting me better than
‘she could have done — She often alludes to her folly at first, and always with regret — She is certainly ashamed of it — She is
‘very attentive to my aunt — I joked her about getting into favour — She said, if I thought she wanted to curry favour, she would
‘never call again — She says, that, if she had no wish on her own part, she should think it so great an advantage to Jane
‘to go with me to Switzerland, that it would not be right to lose it — I have not a thought about it, but that the tour will be
amusing, and will set me right again — But I will not go without your consent’ — I wrote yesterday that I now saw her
almost every day, ‘and I know no feasible means of helping it’ — thought it best not to seem to notice it, but
often alluded to my ‘decided determination; and this is now so well understood, that it has ceased to be a source
‘of potheration’ — not a word ever said against my future plans — In fact, I could not clearly see much difference between
going to Switzerland or remaining here — Sometimes sighed to be at Congleton or Chester, but then again thought no place
could suit us better than here — best to be out of the way a little just now on all accounts — I was not ill
but wanted a rummage, and the Swiss mountains would do me good — from anxiety or one thing or other never had my
bowels so obstinate before, and often a little fever at night — If she could peep into my heart she would be satisfied — ‘But it is
impossible to throw it on paper — think it all you wish — In this, not even your wishes can exceed the reality’ — on the
subject of lady Johnstone’s house in York, not surprised at Mr. Charles Lawton’s proposal (to buy or take it on lease) — ‘It strikes
‘me that to take it for a term of years, would be even worse than purchasing — you would be tied to a place not your own, and which you
‘might not continue to like; and, if anything happened to Charles before the expiration of the term, his executors would be bound for the ret and
‘repairs, —that is, to leave the house as good as it was found — As to purchasing, I can think of but one argument in its favour, —
viz. the not being able to get the money secured to you by any other means — If there be a certain sum which Charles can afford
[margin text:] Fahrenheit 42° at 7 1/2 p.m.
48° at 1 3/4 —
43° at 10 5/60 —
tolerably fine morning — black clouds hovering about at 4 3/4 p.m. a shower for near 1/2 hour — fair while I was out — more rain after dinner and windy towards night —
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‘to lay out for the benefit of your own, or any future jointure, I am persuaded, he may invest it better than in the
‘purchase of Lady Johnstone’s house, for which he would probably give twice as much as he could get for it — Besides, I cannot think
‘that living in York would suit him; and, perhaps there are many reasons why you would not much like it — as to futurity, if you
‘have no more than five-hundreds a year; I think the income will be five- and-twenty hundreds; and you can judge better than I
‘how far this would be sufficient — For my own part, however, I cannot help asking myself whether, after being used to
‘one’s own place in the country, or a capital, York would not be too provincial a town to suit my taste — Perhaps you
‘would like to travel for a few years — perhaps, on your return, you would not care to vegetate among old maids and scandal — Of
‘men’s society there is certainly very little in York — the county troubles it but little, save at assizes, races, and
‘elections, thinking, perhaps, like me, it is too far from London — But, Mary, in this case, your judgment is better than mine —
‘If you leave Lawton, why not move farther south? It would, surely, better suit you all — you can get well
‘introduced almost anywhere; and this is all you want — I would not have you say much to bring the party here; for fear it
‘should not answer — Your not speaking French, is a weighty objection — should anything happen to my aunt, I have no thought of
‘remaining here’ — then follows an account of her — not so well this last fortnight but better now — yet I doubt, ‘how she
‘will get over next winter and the following spring — she may continue for years; but it does not seem likely — I am
‘persuaded the complaint is gradually taking more and more hold of her; and, whenever an attack does come, I know not how
‘she will struggle against it — Her bowels are still marvellously well; and she can sew and read; but her hands and feet
‘seem to swell more; and it strikes me, that all this looks like tendency to dropsy’ — then mention Miss Fletcher’s letter
and quote the passage about hoping ‘that our more mercurial neighbours’ have been ‘trusty guardians of her long delayed
Epistle’, and though ‘appearances have been against her’ how ‘fresh in her remembrance’ etc. etc. all at Parkgate — cannot be
off writing to her occasionally so may as well do it with a good grace — will therefore write on or before Monday — then an
answer to the particulars of M-’s [Mariana] letter — think Steph, considering all things, ought to be satisfied about Clifton — and I would like M- [Mariana] get rid
of it at the best price I could — give the heads of Mrs. Duffins news — ‘we have fine spring weather’ — no time for the
thermometrical journal — page 1. speaking of my accounts — ‘my accounts for the last 3 years were unsettled — I have had them
‘all to add up, and analyse; and it has cost me many a day’s trouble to make out, from scraps of paper, and from
‘memory, my exact receipts of these 3 last years — I have all along promised myself to put my accounts from the time of my uncle’s death
‘upon a new plan; — for without this, my affairs would now be too complicated — I knew I should not be satisfied
‘till I could see the whole state of my affairs, at any moment, at a glance — I have, therefore, toiled for my comfort’s
‘sake, and hope I am now on the point of reaping the fruit of my labours — about 10 days more, and I shall have done —
‘my system consists of 8 books — 3 day-books (private, general, and travelling) — 2 summary books (a general summary,
‘and a private ditto), — 2 cash-books (for English and foreign money), and a ledger — my general summary will amuse you —
‘you can see, at a glance, the weekly consumption of the house — the travelling summary will have its interest —
‘the difficulty has been in arranging the plan — once arranged, the trouble of keeping it up will not be great — you
‘will recollect that my concerns are not quite so simple now, as formerly — I have an account with 3 bankers,
‘(at home, in London, and here), besides my steward’s accounts, and the detail of daily expense, more tiresome, because everything
‘here is necessarily bought in small quantities, on account of having no store-rooms, as in England — Perhaps you can now
‘understand somewhat better how it is, that I have had all this pother’ — from 9 to 10 55/60 finishing my letter and writing
the above of today — then wafered and sent it off (at 11 27/60) my letter to M- [Mariana] (‘Mrs. Lawton Lawton hall Lawton Cheshire Angleterre [England]
post payé’) and sat down to breakfast at 11 1/2 — said Mrs. William Buchanan had ‘no hole to creep out at’ — only ‘7 of
‘Murillo’s pictures in the gallery; and of the 2 in which are the virgin, and child infant Jesus, she could not mean the one, because there
‘is no St. John; she could not mean the other, because there are ‘le père Éternel, L’Esprit Saint, and Ste Elizabeth [The Eternal Father, the Holy Spirit, and St. Elizabeth], 3 personages
too many’ — Copy the notice of la belle jardinière given in the last edition (of last year) of the ‘Notice des Tableaux [notice of contents] – ‘— § ‘Send Give
my remembrances to Miss Pattison and through her to her sister Mrs. ‘(Alexander)’ Buchanan and say, that, if we ought to ‘render unto the Cæsar the things which
are Cæsar’s, La Belle Jardinière ought to be given not to Murillo, whose virgins have quite a different countenance, but to ‘Raffaelio Sanzio
[margin text:] § Explain the Musée Royal at the end which could not surely have misled Mrs. William Buchanan
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