Very lovely early: ― actually rose at 5½, & worked till 8 at 2 Gethsemane drawings. ― Walked a little in the garden: ― reflections on the seldomness of morning quiet now-a-days. At 8.45 ― awful long prayers εις την εκκλησιαν: Ο Αρχιρευς1 expounding. Mrs. Moncrieff ― πως ειναι μεγαλε!2 ― getting out of the pew.

After breakfast showed a box of drawings to the company: mostly ordinarily intelligent ― Mrs. T. least so. ― Drew again for half an hour ― then lunch. ― After that, at 1.45 ― Eclipse 1860-07-18_1nearly total ― & certainly interesting. Then a long walk, with the good old Archbp. All about the Park wh. is singularly beautiful. And at 5 ― 6 ― a lesser walk with Thomas & a Mr. Hammond ― the view lovely ― & to C. Palace fountains.

“Packed up.”

Miss S. is much aged

R. Sumner ― queer unpleasant as of old

1860-07-18_2

Mrs. T. enraged me by asking most insolent & silly questions about AT: & similar remarx of J. Hutchinson.

Florence T. is very nice. T. père ― always kind & nice & friendly. Evening. I sang some 3 songs ― but was not pleased, though pleasing others. Incident of Archbp. sleeping, & upsetting whole cup of tea in Apron.

Good night all. Kindly as these good people are, I am very glad to go away.

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

  1. In the Church: the Pontiff [priest = ιερεύς, Lear clearly means the Archbishop] (GT). [↩]
  2. That is great! (GT). [↩]