#Mrs J Fothergill | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

misslisterkeepsajournal · 4 years

Text

1826 Tuesday 6 June

7 40/60

1 50/60

Slept indifferently on account of the noise of carriages etc - dozed and dreampt that each carriage was the one that taking M- [Mariana] away - At breakfast at 9 20/60 - At 10 1/2 Mr Duffin went with me to Breary and Myers - 1 1/4 hour ordering about the finishing of the carriage - thence to Horners - Mr Horner 1/2 hour scaling my teeth - thence to the great assembly room to see a collection of pictures (arranged for private sale, belonging to Mr J. Hickman, St James’s Street London) by the old masters, especially the ‘Christ in the sepulchre’ by Michael Angel Buonarotti ‘which, from its extraordinary effect’ (says the title page of the catalogue), produce the powerful genius of that great man, has been long designated the miraculous entombment’ - Mr Hickman asks 6,000 guineas for this picture but thinks he would not sell it at any price - mentioned that Lord Carlisle has given £4000 for the 3 Marys - no! said Mr Hickman £3500 (or guineas I am not clear which he said) for I was the man who sold it him - found Mr Hickman very civil - talked to him some time - he said Soult had refused £30,000 for 5 or 6 of the choice pictures of his collection, for the British museum - he named to me ‘a valuable collection of Dutch pictures, particularly a fine composition by Rubens of a Holy family with St Elizabeth and St John’, and very civilly (not remembering the address at the moment) on going home and turning to his journal wrote me a note directing me to ‘Monsieur C. Chevalier Boursalt no. 20, rue Blanche, Chansée D’[Autrin], Paris’ -

Met Miss Duffin with Mr and Mrs Swann and their daughters just come from a Paris School seeing the pictures - Miss Duffin left them, and went with Mr Duffin and myself to the top of the mister 13 minutes going up - (I think the mad said 240 steps - and surely 8 inch steps), and 9 minutes coming down - nobody complained - I thought myself well repaid - said Mr Duffin ‘this is said to be the most extensive plain in the world that we see over’ - 20 minutes at the top looking about us - I could have staid 2 or 3 times as long, hot as it was on the leads under a full sun - Mr Duffin left us, on getting down again - Miss Duffin and I went to the Henry Belcombes’ took Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe in another room for 1/2 hour tête à tête to explain why I should not call at the Belcombes’ in Petergate, because in answer to, or rather the only remark Mrs Belcombe made on reading my message sent thro’ Mrs Milne, was we should most likely never meet again, and perhaps it was better not - on entering the Henry Belcombes’ whom should I meet in the dining room on her legs coming away, but Mrs Milne - She shook hands with me, merely added ‘we shall see you at our house’, and, calling her son Duncan, walked out, as we walked in - I fancied she coloured did she see my agitation I felt to turn pale my legs trembled under me excessively but I sat down Miss Duffin talked away to Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe and I think no one guessed what was passing within me I dreaded to meet her afterwards thought I saw her at a distance and turned quite another way to avoid her which I did but met and shook hands with Milne -

Left Miss Duffin to wait for me at the Henry Stephen Belcombes’, and called to take leave at Fisher’s, and at Mrs Best’s sat some time with Mrs Best and Rose I am in high favour with them - then went back, and took Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe and Miss Duffin to see our carriage -

Got home at 4 20/60 - Parsons waiting to cut my hair - took Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe upstairs and she sat by me till 5 - then took our leave - and I hurried down to dinner (could not dress - had no gown with me) at 5 1/4 -

Captain Fothergill of King Thorpe very vulgar, Mrs Elyfield’s brother, and Mr Atkinson the surgeon dined with us - the latter under a cloud, Mr Duffin thinks unjustly, about the death of Mrs Hutchinson the nearest relative of the late Dr Jackson dean of Christchurch - not attentive enough - should have had a physician much earlier - the poor soul might have been recovered, etc etc - Did not sit long after dinner -

Seeing Miss Yorke mount her horse went to the door and took leave of her - She expressed herself as if she had really some regard for me, and very prettily gave me to understand how glad she should be to hear of or from me - Mrs Yorke just gone out walking or I should have called to wish her goodbye - Gave no reason for Miss Yorke to expect it, but the thought crossed that perhaps I might write her one letter - I am sure it would please her - she is always ladylike - when Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe asked me to write, I threw cold water on it at once, ditto to Miss Henrietta Crompton - so Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe said I should of course write to Steph about my aunt to say how she went on, and she would be contented to hear of me then - She really behaves very well and likes me and is flattered by my notice but she is not thoroughbred and this spoils though ditto of the Cromptons this evening and came away not fancying them much - Called and sat an hour with the Cromptons - then went to Mrs Anne and Miss Gage, and, finding them at tea, drank tea with them - both of them very kind -

Got home at 9 1/4 - the 2 gentlemen went at 10 - came up to bed at 10 25/60 - Miss Duffin sat with me till 1 1/4 - thought of Pi [Mariana] behaved quite properly - made memoranda of today - very fine day - very warm -

Reference: SH:7/ML/E/9/0107 - SH:7/ML/E/9/0108

#anne lister #anne lister code breaker #gentleman jack #1826 #york

7 notes · View notes