Sunday, 26 December 1858
Rose later ― cloudy ― & wetty at times. After breakfast ― (as comfortable as things can get to be ―) went to S.W.C. ― & walked with him to church. Great crowd ― & disagreeable somehow. Yet the service is well done, & particularly the singing. Walk back with S. ― & then call on P.W. & on to Marshalls’ ― with whom lunch: curious people. ― Then on Mr. Hay ― & so, at 4 ― to S. at the church door ―& walk round the Borghese Gardens. Afterwards, called at Lady Stratford’s.
So ― home: & oversaw G.’s writing & dressed, & went to the Knights. C. & Helen. C. is as of old ― suspicious, yet downright. ― H. is much changed, & not for the better; harder & bitter, ― though I like her for old memory’s sake. Isabella tonight was a fainter image of former-life=Isabella. ― So, at 11, I came away ― unsure if I had not bored all three.
And so we are in Νεακερκύρα again.
[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]