| Description | [Diary Transcription]
170
1827
May
+ §§
Looking over my general Daybook to see where the leather to clean knives on was got — sent George (at 1 5/60) to get one for Madame Galvani —
as also 1/2 dozen knives for her (at Legrand’s rue du Bac No. [Number] 12) — at 1 20/60 began a letter to M- [Mariana] from then to 3 1/4 wrote 1 page very small
and close, and 4 1/2 lines of page 2 — mention of going with Mrs. Barlow to see the Expiatory chapel and the ateliers, and being at the review on Sunday — long
account of this and of the disbanding of the corps — quote stanzas 18, 19, and 20, of the ‘Véritable Complainte de la Garde Nationale’ [‘True Complaint of the National Guard’]
I bought this morning — mention going to Ermenonville with Mrs. and Miss Barlow on Thursday ‘my aunt has had a good deal of pain,
‘and is not quite well just now, yet I shall not be absent more than perhaps one night — the heat may affect her —
‘It is quite summer Fahrenheit was 73 when we sat down to dinner yesterday at 7 3/4 — on my return from Ermenonville we are to
‘dine at 5; and I shall walk after dinner’ — wrote the last 5 1/2 lines — from 3 35/60 to 4 1/2 wrote out index from 19 April up to today —
from 4 1/2 to 7 10/60 looking over my journal of last year, respecting the Hipperholme school charity debt to my uncle — my purchase
at Godley, etc. — Entered the Hipperholme school account in my ledger — read over the copy of my last letter to Mr. Briggs, and his last to me —
calculated the price of the Godley land — wrote part of a rough draft of letter to Mr. Briggs washed my hands etc. — Dinner at 7 25/60 — came to
my room at 9 1/4 — settled with George and my accounts etc. etc. — went into the drawing room at 9 3/4 — sat talking — came to my room at
10 5/60 — o . vide this morning’s paper page 3. column 2. A letter from Geneva of April 4 speaks of ‘the almost total destruction of
‘the Parthenon by the Turkish artillery’ — ‘almost all the celebrated remains of Athens, the Parthenon, the Temple of
Theseus and the Erectheum, are now levelled with the ground’ — sighed over this — alas! then I shall never see
Athens even in the splendour of its ruins! what Turkish barbarism! may Turkish power be banished
soon from Europe never to return! —
Wednesday 2
5 55/60
11 3/4
+
§
bowels right — at my desk at 6 3/4 - 1/4 hour recalculating the price of Godley land — wrote the last 4 1/2 lines of yesterday and the entry of them in
the literary index — all which took me till 7 20/60 — from then to 10 55/60, looking over my papers, and writing the rough draft (not a
line of that written yesterday) of an entire letter to Mr. Briggs — I think I shall keep it till my return from Ermenonville, and
then send it as it is or with some small addition or alteration that does not now occur to me — From at 11 to 1 50/60 read the paper
interesting observation on the disbanding the national guard and extract from the Courrier Francais, the Journal de Paris, and the Quotidienne, on the same subject — from 11 50/60 to
12 20/60 breakfast — from 12 20/60 to 2 25/60 looking over my general Daybook of last year and making out the debtor side of my account
with all the woods I have — at 2 35/60 began to finish dressing — Madame Galvani came about 3 10/60, and staid till 4 40/60 —
went out at 5 1/4 — direct to Mrs. Barlow — sat talking till 7 1/4 — Mrs. and Miss MacKenzie had been calling on her
this morning — come to the de Boyves for 3 months — asked my address! got home at 7 25/60 — dinner at 7 1/2 — came
to my room at 9 — Took off my stays for MacDonald to mend from 9 20/60 to 9 3/4 sat with my aunt — came back to my
room at 9 3/4 — made up in a very small parcel my night things 1 clean chemise and pocket handkerchief — 1 frilled neck
ditto and pair of stockings and a couple of combs to take with me tomorrow — settled with George and my accounts — wrote the
last 5 lines — threw off my woollen sleeves yesterday morning, and my black silk cravat this morning — o ..
sent George immediately after dinner to no. [number] 51 rue du Faubourg Saint Denis where he took us 3 places for tomorrow at 8 a.m.
counted over my money — Left at home 280.47 1/2 and took with me 50.25 — all which took me till 10 40/60 —
[margin text:] Fahrenheit 57 1/2° at 6 3/4 a.m.
69 1/2° at noon
72° at 7 1/2 p.m.
68° at 10 3/4 —
fine morning
very fine day — very
warm
Thursday 3
5 10/60
10 3/4
§
Bowels right enough — at breakfast at 6 50/60 — sent George for Mrs. and Miss Barlow (afraid of their being too late), met them downstairs
and all off from here at 7 1/2 — at the coach office, rue du Faubourg Saint Denis No. [number] 51, in 20 minutes waited 1/2 hour, and off
in the little Diligence (a sort of cuckoo on 4 wheels) at 8 20/60 — passed through Le Bourget at 10 — stopt for
about 1/2 hour — to breakfast at the Cheval Rouge at Louvres, and off from there at 11 1/2 (all but myself breakfasted) Mrs. and Miss Barlow
our female companion and 2 men one of them probably an avocat, the other a land surveyor) — Stopt got out and left our
Diligence at a little auberge [inn] at the village of Mortefontaine or Morfontaine at 1 5/60 — went to the great park — the most
beautiful grounds I have seen since leaving England [illegible] nor do I imagine there is any gentler grounds in France would please me so well —
walked to Ermenonville — Vide my Travelling Journal that I began from this time, wishing for easier reference to have
a separate journal of all my excursions — all that is more strictly private being reserved for this my private journal —
Dinner at 9 — All three in one room I to have the next room for a dressing room in the morning drank six or seven tumblers
hot wine and water in good spirits a little sweet upon Mrs. Barlow as if a little tipsy and as far as possible before Jane undressed ne
ver washed at all was almost in the act of getting into bed when Mrs. Barlow made a snatch at my locket in trying to preve
[margin text:] Fahrenheit 62° at 5 1/4
64° at 6 3/4
very fine day — distant thunder between 5 and 6 p.m.
fine morning but likely
for rain or to be very sultry
170 [171]
1827
May
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nt her she made another snatch the little ring that held the string gave way and down fell the locket what the devi
l did you do that for damn it you need not have done that she sought for and picked up the locket and got into bed I st
ood a long while pressing the ring close and reputting through it the string obliged to untie the knot poor π [Mariana] had tied
when she gave it me I put the whole in my purse for the night and got into bed full of reflection Jane had
asked what was the matter nothing said Mrs. Barlow and Jane wisely said no more I never uttered but being ann
oyed and feverish passed a very restless night thought I perhaps it is for the best it is a good excuse
for my having nothing to say to her and I am glad to be off I will take care how I put myself in this ssituation
again in the middle of the night she whispered me to kiss and forgive her I kissed her coldly awoke at fi
ve and a quarter going to get up Mrs. Barlow began talking hoped she had done the locket no harm did not mean to do that
only could not bear me to sleep in it told her a word would have done I would have taken it off she had no need
to do as she did and had annoyed me exceedingly she began talking about whether I loved her best at
last she teazed me till after a long and persevering silence I said yes she seemed half distracted
(all in a smothered way for fear Jane should not be asleep) a great deal of nonsense I wished myself any
where but here I was and silently promised myself to excursionize with her no more however it ended as
usual in right middle finger up could not give her a best excitement [illegible] for fear of Jane did not
give her the feel of a kiss but pretended I had had one (was in fact a little excited) ~ afterwards dozed
I wonder if Jane was awake Mrs. Barlow pinned our curtains together that she could not see much but might hear
moving about o .. very fine day — a little distant thunder about 5 just before setting off from Morfontaine, and afterwards between 5 and 6 [illegible] — alarmed for
fear of an orage [thunderstorm] — walked in great anxiety, but said nothing about it — fortunately the storm passed us, — and we had a delightful
evening — got to Ermenonville, the Croix d’or, at 8 25/60 — (Wednesday 9 May — there was thunder and lightning and heavy rain it appears from my aunt, about the above named time in Paris) —
Friday 4
8 35/60
10 20/60
§
§
Vide the last twelve lines how prevented getting up at five and a quarter etc. came to my dressing room at 10 20/60 — my bowels pretty well — nobody slept well — I did not — feverish — restless —
kept the candle burning last night fearing the bed might be damp — no! — Said my prayers fervently
the tears trickled down my cheeks prayed particularly for π [Mariana] and the Lord to have mercy on us both the
locket being made so that I could wear it put it on From 9 35/60 to 10 50/60 wrote out from notes in my
tablets of yesterday (observed 1 of the outsides of my tablets cracked) a long journal of yesterday in pencil, not having been
able for the 1st time since I have kept a journal to bring my journal book with me, — having only my night things, combs, 1 pair silk stockings, 1 clean frilled
handkerchief 1 clean pocket ditto and 1 clean chemise and my slippers made up in a small paper parcel to carry under my arm —
went in to Mrs and Miss Barlow to breakfast at 10 50/60 — waited 1/2 hour — then long over breakfast — did not go out till 2 10/60
see the grounds Rousseau’s chaumière and tomb in the Isle of poplars (vide travelling Journal) — Returned to our auberge at 5 25/60 — Determined to go to Mrs. and Miss Barlow ate their 5 hard eggs — went out again at 6 1/4 —
Senlis tomorrow — to walk — there being no sort of carriage to be had — might have had a sort of covered cart, but
tomorrow is market day, and therefore we cannot have it — might have asses, but prefer walking — Jane to sleep in
another room o .
[margin text:] very fine day —
Saturday 5
10 3/4
11 40/60
O
§
A little motion and ditto to make up with after breakfast my right eye swelled up from a bug-bite — middle finger up two excitements last night and three or four this morning but still she had not one
of the very best latterly she lay a little on my right thigh but more on my left (π [Mariana] always on the right)
that I was all but close to her I felt her top hair against me and this gave a slight kiss to myself
Breakfast from 1 25/60 to 2 — Mrs Barlow had had not a motion of three days made her take hot water after breakfast this
answered she was ssickish and lay down for a few minutes afterwards and was then pretty well Mrs. Barlow took hot water
very much the better for it — well enough to walk — off from Ermenonville at 3 35/60 — stopt at the Grand Cerf, Grande
rue de Paris, Senlis, at 8 10/60 — Dinner at 9 1/2 in the public salle à manger — came to our rooms at 10 35/60 — Jane and I very
merry joking together in French at a fine rate — Jane surprised I could get on so well — o .
[margin text:] very fine cool pleasant
day — not much sun — fine air —
delightful walking —
rain heavyish soon after our
arrival for about an hour —
rainy night —
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