Fine ― but gray ― all day.
Rose at 5.30. (!)― Those deer! & the still glade & turf ― & the cushioned trees! ― Sate with open window ― & wrote some letters & did Greek till 8.30. Breakfast ― lively & pleasant. Mrs. Howard is close on 77.! ― Shewed drawings till 11. The good old lady wanted me to paint a picture ― so I told her I was doing some for 10£ each. Afterwards ― Miss Paget & I set off to see the Cornfields ― very pretty: ― her dog: ― the walk ― the Garden. ― Return at 12. (having seen William Carpenter the groom of years gone,[)] Miss P. going with me to the stables. Mrs. Howard is kinder to her domestics than any one I have known of her rank ― i.e. treating them as her fellow creatures ― & interesting herself in their families. ――
The small Omnibus took me to Epsom by 12.45. & Rev Mr. Lingham my companion to town. He was a broad-minded prête-ecclesiastiκῶς. Home by 1.20. ― & at 3 began to work hard on one of the new small size, Gethsemane, ― whereat I worked hard till 6. Dressed ― & cab to St. John’s Lodge. The “Athos” is hung there, but it now seems to me that they buy pictures quâ it’s being proper to do so ― caring little for the subject, ― but I may mistake.
There was a twang of dullness about the
evening, but whether from my fault or not, I cannot decide[.] I was absurdly timorous in coming away ― but it turned out moonlight: so I walked home.
But I didn’t like the Regts Park walks ― & won’t go again.
X5
[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]
