| Description | [Diary Transcription]
311
1826
September Tuesday 19
9
1 20/60
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Two good kisses last night Mademoiselle Romatier came to try M-’s [Mariana] stays on at 9 — Breakfast at 10 1/2 —
sat talking after breakfast M- [Mariana] and I took George with us and went out about 12 3/4 — paid our bill for the last 2 days at our restaurant —
thence to Madame Contant with some pocket handkerchiefs of M-’s [Mariana] to be marked — left them Madame Contant not at home — thence to Nattier’s
rue de Richelieu, and ordered the wreath for IN- [Isabella Norcliffe] — then took a fiacre to the marché aux fruits, and got there just before the
bell rang for the market to begin — bought 2 baskets of grapes at 25/. sols and one of de beurre pears at 30. sols — sent George
home with them — M- [Mariana] and I peeped into the morgue — 3 men exposed there — thence to Notre Dame — very clean and
neat — newly painted instead of washed — very nice and neat — thence along the isle de la cité — went into a shop
at the far end of the marché aux fleurs — M- [Mariana] bought 2 barège handkerchiefs — thence along the quais — to rue de l’
université no. [number] 67 to look at an apartment — might suit us — 350 francs a month, but neither linen nor
argenterie [silverware] — In returning met Mrs. Barlow and Jane — I kept them talking some time — asked Mrs. Barlow to look at
the apartment — both she and M- [Mariana] evidently nervous — did not get home till 6 — dinner immediately — afterwards M- [Mariana] and I
sat calculating the expense of living here, and the advantage or not of moving — made our expenses when we get our cook (including £150
a year for a remise 3 days a week) amount to just £800 a year — nothing left for my aunt’s doctor’s bills
and her and my private expenses — this ought not to be — I must consider the matter — yet I feel inclined to stay
here for the winter at all rates, and try how we go on — left the dining room about 9 1/4, and came into the salon
to my aunt and wrote the above of today — very fine day — settled my accounts — Curled my hair while π- [Mariana] was extra
cting from my journal then sat calculating expense of living and talking to M- [Mariana] till 12 10/60 — then went to our room —
o.. ~
Wednesday 20
7 50/60
1
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Two very good kisses last night — Breakfast at 10 — Had a remise and went out at 10 40/60 — the porter’s
wife asked if we meant possibly to take the lodgings for 6 months — promised her an answer this evening — went direct
to the palais de justice préfecture de police bureau des prisons [courthouse police prefecture office of prisons] — waited 1/4 hour — out of patience, and cross about it — what trouble
they give one — the sights are not worth it — saw the great hall of the building and the passage full of shops, and then went
to the concierge who let us see the Sainte Chapelle — expiatory chapel — what bad taste! — why not have left the
place just as it was when poor Marie Antoinette was confined there (76 days)? — the prison close to it of
the princess Elizabeth remains nearly the same — M- [Mariana] much interested — thence to the archiviste Monsieur Terrasse who
civilly, and without trouble sent the man to shew us the archives — this man has the care of all the rooms with a
salary of only 800 francs a year with which to find himself lodging and everything shewed us the oratory of St. Louis the handwriting of the different kings, etc. — Left the palais de Justice at 11 1/2 — thence to the
Jardin des plantes — could not be admitted today — things altered since the date of my ticket — might be admitted
tomorrow or Saturday — cross again — met with a civil old soldier who had been 8 years a prisoner in England and spoke English
well — accustomed to act as guide here — he went round the menageries with us — off from here at 1 1/2 — went
direct (5 sols for crossing the bridge) to the manufacture des glaces [mirror factory] — 25 minutes there — M- [Mariana] observed how cheap
the mirrors — 1/4 the price they would be in England — said Mrs. Norcliffe bought their drawing room glass here, and, after paying the
duty and carriage, it only cost them about £90. and would have cost £200 in England — from the manufactory des glaces
through the place Royale (built by Francis 1) — Erecting a statue of Louis 15 in the middle — a fountain at each corner
of the enclosure (railed off and surrounded by an avenue of limes) in the middle of the square — thence across the pont neuf to the val de grace — saw the church at 3 quite
refitted and made a very handsome church since I was here last — thence to the Enfans Trouvés — got there at 3 1/2 — an
interesting sight — thence to Galignani’s to inquire the address of the people who advertised in yesterday’s paper that they
312
1826
September
Vc
were French people of distinction who would be glad to take a family for the winter — no. [number] 44 rue de Rivoli Monsieur
Madame and the Mademoiselles Guillet — from Galignani’s direct to rue Pigale No. [number] 6 — Mrs. Lynn at home — sat with her
1 5/60 hour (till 5 40/60) — much pleased with her — she 1/2 persuaded me to leave here and winter at
Tours where she herself is going for the winter in 3 weeks — lodgings for 1/2 the price they are here — very good for 200/.
per month, and provisions cheap — could have every luxury for £800 a year — should be surprised to see how some
families lived there for £500 or £600 a year — too hot for the summer — she should go to Vichy about 200 miles
farther south in May — recommended a coachmaker — will send her servant with him here tomorrow at
10, or on Friday — very civil — very kind — will call some time next week — and we promised to call on her
again — she has been dangerously ill — inflammation in her bowels — nice mannered pleasing invalid —
her daughter looks toujours malade [always sick] — but M- [Mariana] thinks a very nice girl of 14 — In returning called at rue
Rivoli No. [number] 42 — surprised to mount to the entresol above the 3me [troisième, third] — the people at dinner (should not have
thought of entering but to shew the place and people to M- [Mariana]) quite bourgeois — a common pension — they were
at dinner — had 2 or 3 men probably pensionnaires [boarders] — asked the terms for asking’s sake — they would take us
(our servants to live with theirs) for 900/. per month! Surely we should gain not much or not enough by this after finding
our wood and candles, and allowing for mounting 100 deepish steps — got home at 6 10/60 — dinner had
waited 1/4 hour — said we would give the porter our answer tomorrow morning — mentioned all this to my aunt — on leaving Mrs. Lynn said to M- [Mariana] ‘we will not go to Tours’ —
on coming home turned the thing over in my mind — Sleepy after dinner — went to my own room, and dozed there for
a couple of hours while M- [Mariana] sat with my aunt writing — Curled my hair then. about 10 1/2 came into the salon
and wrote down my accounts and the whole of this journal of today — ’Tis now 12 — anxious and fidgetty about what to
resolve to stay or go — Had I more money should not have hesitated a moment — so, of course, says M- [Mariana] who
would not have us farther off — I am not yet quite decided, but think to stay where we are for, at all rates,
the next 6 months — Very fine day — o.. ~
Thursday 21
8 1/2
1 10/60
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§
[illegible] Last night good kiss Mrs. Lynn’s servant came at 10 with the coachmaker — only one wheel wants new bushing —
the back springs too weak — must be strengthened — the coachmaker will bring his estimate tomorrow evening at 7 — Breakfast at 10 1/2 —
determined to stay here the winter — settle with the porter’s wife to take the lodgings for 6 months from the time of our coming
(Friday 8 this month) — dawdling over 1 thing or other — Talking to the porter’s wife — order 12 voies of wood — M- [Mariana] and I went
out at 2 — to the chambre des deputés [House of Representatives] — Then saw the palais Bourbon — ‘Before the revolution’, said the man in
French, ‘if you had not seen this palace you had seen nothing’ — the best of it is now appropriated to the corps
legislatif [legislature] — Hence into the rue Royale — Seeing the affiche [poster], went to see the çidevant [ci-devant [former]] Mrs. Henry Baring’s handsomely furnished apartment there — 1000/.
a month — fine picture of herself of her 3 sons 2 little boys, and a girl combing her mamma’s hair — Thence to the eglise de la
Madeleine [church of the Madeleine] — some time there inside, and walking all round — along the boulevards home — Called at our grocer’s, and to
desire our restaurateur to let us have dinner immediately — home at 5 — dinner immediately — at 6 10/60 M- [Mariana] and I walked
to the Feydeau and got into one of the left side premiers loges [front row seats] at 6 50/60 — M- [Mariana] admires this theatre more than any —
La veille [La Vieille [The Old Woman]] very pretty music and la Dame Blanche [The White Lady] still prettier music, and very pretty altogether — taken from Walter Scott —
Kenilworth? a nice sort of person in the box a Swiss well mannered, and musical — perhaps not too correct for she
knew a woman — who came in afterwards very low in her manners and gestes [gestures] whom she, on my inquiring narrowly, said was the
mistress of an agent de change [stockbroker] — got home at 11 40/60 — very fine day — beautiful evening — o.. ~
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