| Description | [Diary Transcription]
10
1826
October
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message through Miss Marsh which she sent to Mr. Duffin to be sent to me, consequently I never heard of it till now, viz.
with Mr. Marsh’s ‘kindest regards, he accepted for Malt with great pleasure the honourable part you had assigned him
‘in your will, and that he particularly wished to see you at Winterslow before you left England, if you could continue only
‘for 2 days’ — Mr. Duffin tells me ‘I have just been with Jonathan Gray — He has got all the needful done
‘respecting the will, regularly stamped and in his possession with the deduction for the overcharge — there is nothing
‘to settle but his bill, which can be done at any time either now or when you return — He further advises
‘you to sign the rough draft of your will signed by 2 credible witnesses which will be equally valid, if
‘anything should occur to prevent your completing a regular one.’ …. They seem pleased with the tea caddy —
I am very glad I sent it — will be glad to see me — ‘our domicile’ (says Mr. Duffin), ‘is open to you and you
will be received with open arms by your old and tried friends’ — Says Mrs. Duffin ‘Come and try my hospitality in
‘this house — which is made and making most nice — I shall always receive you with delight’ — all my York friends well — wrote this journal so
far of today, and had just done at 11 5/60 — Dressed — at 11 50/60 began the morning service, and read aloud (to my aunt and the servants)
this and sermon 2 bishop Sandford, and had finished the latter all but the last page when Madame Droz and her husband’s sister called
and staid 3/4 hour — Madame Droz very civil quite as she used to be — asked me to go and drink tea with them — to fix any evening but Tuesday next —
promised to go at the end of the week — Madame Droz found means to whisper to me that though her husband was not noble, his
family was old and good — they were titrés before the revocation of the Edict of Nantes? when all the protestants were
banished — Went out about 2 — direct to the rue de l’Université No. [Number] 5 — got there at 2 25/60 — Madame la comtesse de Noé
at home — the Comte gone to Versailles — sat 3/4 hour with the comtesse and her daughter — the Comte de Noé’s sister there part of the time —
repeated the excuses made in my note — it seemed there was a Mrs. Collins who was also to have gone to see the
jewels, but she got her note too late — the Comtesse recommended Drs. Morgan and Latham the latter rue de la Chaussée
d’Antin No. [Number] 8 — the former reduces all his patients — both have attended the de Noés — the Comtesse said she was
nervous — but it was said that all ladies were so — She seems as if she was nervous — Surely there is something rather
odd about it would not surprise me to find she had been a little besides herself somehow I don’t under
stand it there is not much style about them they seem to see and know a great many English speak English at
their house etc. etc. the Comtesse said this morning there were no comforts in France she was very civil ditto
her daughter the lame one the same I saw before I cannot quite make them out ~ From the de Noés went to
Madame Galvani — an Italian lady the wife of a French general there, and a Frenchwoman, and General Moreau’s nephew — the ladies
went away about 4 — the gentleman at 4 25/60 — soon after which Madame Galvani had her dinner brought up, and I sat with her till 5 50/60 —
She is very agreeable — enjoyed her tête-à-tête society much — she is elegant and très spirituelle [very spiritual] — Got home at 6 10/60 —
Dinner at 6 1/2 — waited for veal cutlets brought from Michel’s instead of the veal pie that the garçon was bringing, and some
one ran against and broke the dish and pie all to pieces — Came into the salon at 7 1/2, and wrote the last 20 lines — Speaking of
Montlosier’s Mémoire General Moreau’s nephew said the Comte de Montlosier was employed by the ministry to write political tracts
for which he had a pension (6000 franks per annum?), but now not only was his Mémoire défendu [prohibited], but he had lost his situation
and pension under the ministry — wrote out the index from last Wednesday up to tonight — Came to my room at 10 — Very fine day but not
much sun, and coldish —
11
1826
October
Monday 30
6 50/60
11 1/4
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Doing my things for the wash looking over the bills dressed my hair ~ She did not come till 8 — then
gave me the slip (I did not see her) and said she would come again in the evening — Dissatisfied with her charges — arranging
what I will propose giving her, and, if she will not take it, we will turn her off — This and arranging the
markets etc. I have to make today took me till 9 40/60 — How I begrudge time spent in this way! Surely everything
will be so settled by and by, that I can pay washing bills, etc. without much trouble — breakfast at 10 1/4 —
read the whole of Galignani’s messenger — Got ready to go out at 11 1/2, seeing there was a little damp, and small rain and the streets
wet, sent George — Sat down at my desk at 11 50/60 wrote out the index from the 2nd to the 10th June 1825. Then settled
my accounts — On settling with George surprised to find that in paying the milk bill (Cul de sac, Monthabor, No. [Number] 8)
he had only paid 4/. [francs] instead of 4/45 — he said he gave the woman the 9 sols. but she would not take it — ‘Well’, said I,
(in the innocence of the moment) ‘I must inquire about it — The woman has not paid herself’ — It now strikes me how it is —
the woman is too quick not to know what she is about — She meant this as a douceur to George — Had I gone
myself I should have paid the whole! — from 1 50/60 to 3 50/60 wrote out the Literary index and wrote out the Summary Index of from
10 June to the end of July 1825, and thus finished the arduous business of index writing begun on
the 18th ultimo — may I never be so much behind hand again! Yet perhaps this obligation of looking back
upon the last 17 or 18 months of my life may have done me some good — There is uncleanness I look back
¦upon with disgust in humble hope I shall never be guilty of it again ~ there is folly I am ashamed
¦of, though not perhaps more or greater than might be expected — I think my uncle’s death has sobered my mind — I hope
¦I am, or shall be, better than I used to be, — I shall thoroughly examine my accounts for the last 3 years, and then
¦I shall consider my time more fairly my own, and look forward with much pleasure to that best of pleasures,
¦the pursuit of knowledge — ‘She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not
¦to be compared unto her’ — (proverbs iii.15.) — Keeping this journal costs me much time, but I am satisfied
¦that it is not misspent — In these ppages I see the good and evil of my life — the one forbids me to presume,
¦the other to despair — There is thus an equipoise that keeps my mind in equilibrio; and, come what
¦may, I have a store of wholesome admonition when in joy, — of nameless comfort when in sorrow —
¦then I am happy? Yes! Perhaps as much, or more so, than 99 of those who flit around me — I have learnt to
¦think; and thought is pleasant when we try to steer it right —Musing — had just written the above
¦observation at 4 1/2 — I would go out, but the streets are still wet — the atmosphere charged with vapour, yet it does
¦not rain — I will go out tomorrow — then read (aloud to myself) from page 122. to 150. Montlosier’s Mémoire — Dinner at
6 1/4 — the washerwoman came at 7 1/2 — Gave her a list of the pieces I would give — if she would not take them, I would get somebody
else to wash for me — She has taken the paper home, promising to charge me according to that and to make the abatement
for the things brought home this morning — the porter’s wife has so bad a cold, has just sent to be excused coming
tonight — read from 150 to 169. Montlosier — then (reading not suiting my eyes tonight in this room — the salon) felt
sleepy, and dozed the rest of the evening till 10 — Damp sort of day with small rain — vide line 6, and afterwards — went to my room at 10 5/60 —
[margin text:] Fahrenheit 59 1/2° at 8 a.m.
60° — 10 a.m.
61° — 12 at noon.
61° — 10 at night
vide 8 and 9
next month,
ppages 22 and 23
this reference made Thursday 9 November
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