Thursday, 26 September 1861
Fine & calm nearly all day ― small showers & cloudy at times. ―― Letters from Mrs. W.F. Beadon. W.F.B. not so well.
Took, & “saw off” ― 6 packages, by rail to Stratford Pl.
ˆ[1] trunk ― ˆ[2 3 4] 3 frames: ― ˆ[5] Easel: ― & ˆ[6] box of drawings. ―
Resolved, but with gt. difficulty, not to go to Littlegreen. ―
Wrote to T. Cooper: ― Dickenson: & Lady Goldsmid ˇ[to go there on Monday.]
Walked to Hastings ― saw G. Middleton ― & various Crakes ― & Mrs. G.S. & the poor A. Fowlers ―: their boy still lives.
Returned. Lunched at Crakes, & walked out with Edward ― & M.A.C. (who left us soon.) Spoke with E.C. of W.N. ―― he did not seem to recall that W.N. was his godfather.
Went to the Cemetery ― & returned by Ore: ― altogether a pleasant walk. Met the Postman, twice; the first time he gave me a letter from C.F. who comes tomorrow. ― 2ndly ― from J. Hutchinson, who is going to be married, ―― to a Miss Murdoch ― cousin of G. Parry. I hope, & I think, he will be happy: he well deserves to be so, if trying to do a man’s best in life be a desert. ― Came back & dined at the Sussex Hotel. ―
[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]