Monday wrote scrap to W Dewse & PS home. London News to E.V.

Tuesday our memorable party began; coming from the office at 6 o'clock, found Chas Alforth and Fred in our rooms, signs that the crumpy had arrived; shortly after the ladies entered, blazes of beauty! Miss Alforth, quite sweeping one away, she looked so irresistible, her younger sister Maria was pretty; Miss Agnes dressed in excellent taste, was quite blooming & Jane was arrayed with unusual grace; tea passed & the ice thawed, everything pleased; cards came on; Harry & John arrived; then followed games at forfeits of all descriptions; then quadrilles etc. CG playing; then some noble charades, Harry, CG, Eliza Agnes & Ino forming one party & Chas Alforth, Eliza (doubling), Jane, Maria, & Fred & I the other. Harry's party played "Lap-pet" well; Harry, CG and Eliza played with spirit; all good except the full word; we played "A-dore" & it took well; the hedge school in the 1st scene making a sensation. dancing again & games until 1/2 past 4 in the morning & then to bed; everyone staying; 4 ladies in one room; Harry, Fred & Jones in another; & CG, I and Chas. Alforth the other;

breakfasted together; Jones joining in; all left except Jane, Eliza, Maria, John & Fred & we all dined together; & in the evening we all (except Agnes) & renewed the party till tea; then saw them home; a party of 29 hours duration. Poor Charles is now fairly floundering he is over ears & his head will soon be gone; we had the supper from Hamblen & all was praised, & we looked with hopes and fears to our 2nd bachelor's party. There were quantities of damage done at our party & it proves somewhat costly; reflection always follows at the heels of pleasure.

Thursday morning a letter from Father, now almost well again; no other news of import; letter also from Miss Smith, on her Stockton visit & in self defence, enclosing affectionate letter from Aunt & Uncle Clepham written since she left them.- Jones down in evening; balancing; writing diary up.

Friday and Saturday busy at office; reading Household Words.- The New French Revolution, Louis Napoleon's dissolution of the assembly & arrest of the representatives & generals is all the topic, there was barricades- fighting on Wednesday but all is quiet again & Louis Napoleon paramount.

This morning at garden before breakfast; afterwards copied out article for the "Pen Ink & Paper" Clerk's Elysium with Bellerby's beautiful & tasteful heading which he had sent me for it.

In the afternoon yesterday CG and I went up to Boughton; Jones who had called, walking up, met Eliza Alforth; when at Boughton, Charles Alforth called by my request, & Aunt behaved very ill to him; closing the door on him after asking him what he wanted, as if he were a stranger; much hurt by her conduct & in the evening I wrote an explanatory letter to him.- Harry has now got all the contributions in for the Pen Ink & Paper & it only requires a small effort on his part to get it out.- Jane gave me a letter from Miss Jane Anne Riley from Scarbro where she is staying on a visit; she writes in her usual pleasing manner, with honest sentiment & real grace; & I feel proud to have had her letter. Monday evening wrote home to Mother a long letter on party, and many other things forcing the matter of it; wrote in haste to Lindsay in further explanation as to Miss M & myself.

Tuesday morning letters from Ned & George Thackray; the latter by now well in his business encloses a specimen of his work; Ned's letter mainly bears on poultry, & his coming over in Summer.- Letter from Charles Alforth in pleasing acknowledgement to mine & accepting my proffered hand of friendship; he came down in the evening to the office, long talk etc. walks, performances & so on. Aunt & Jane also called. Wrote to Charley Cox last evening as to the PI&P, my Ludlow trip, the editorship of the 2nd is. proffering to take it myself.

Jones came down this evening; and we had a long and deeply interesting talk on marriage, the propriety of it & its applicability to us, our prospects; the choice of a wife; love & matters like it- wide as the heavens- deep as eternity.- Began a letter to William Dewse, but Jones talk made me shut it up as a dead failure.

This evening seeing Charley's urgent desire to behold Eliza, I walked up to her house for the purpose of bringing her down to see us along with her brother, but when I arrived there I found a small party assembled at tea, so I could [not] carry her off; had to stay [to] tea myself, & then walked down with Chas. Alforth; this young man has lived "fast" still I think his heart is good; Jones has warned CG & I against lending him cash, saying he is so fond of pleasure as to be somewhat reckless as to the means of securing it.- I note his advice.- Charley much cut up by Eliza's not coming, consoled by promising to call on Sunday with him.

Wrote a long letter (about 20 pages) to William Dewse on his last letter, on the progress of Pen Ink & Paper! urging him for a 2nd article for no. 2; giving him a detailed a/c of our party & the charades; desiring him to tell me all he knows of the history of Emma Vokes; telling him to buy me 3 mos of the Nat. Ill Literary, a set of the town for 10/- or 5/ in odd nos, & to send me wig, waistcoat, buckles etc. for old Timepiece in Damon & Pythias which we mean playing at Christmas.

Wrote Friday night to Bellerby to thank him for his heading to Clerk's "Elysium," & to order 2 brackets for statuettes. Sent London News with Musical supplement to Miss Riley (meant to sent these music supl to her). At Hilbournes of Friday evening with CG.

On Sunday to Breakfast with Jones; reading London News. Leader etc. walked up Rainbow Hill, then Jones came to dinner with us, & afterwards CG & I went to Boughton & brought Jane down to College calling on the way. Wm. Barnesley who is here as his goodlady at Newark very unwell; he met me leaving college & we all walked up to St. John's together; meeting Miss Agnes Bullock on the way, CG turned to a company her to her destination & did not come up to Boughton again; Jane & I went to St. Clements Church & heard prosy dull dogmatic discourse from Mr. Davies; saw Miss Kathie Morgan there, for 1st time; got the 1st No. of the Pens, Ink & Paper out at last! Called at Mr. Barnesleys & found CG there; read Charley's article there "Schools Wanted" that is for "fast" men to become a little slower & safer, also a "Mad Poem" the authorship of which we can't distinctly fasten on anyone.

Monday, Mr Barnesley come to dinner with us; had pair of Golashes⁶⁶from him (Mine borrowed 1/) broke my spectacles & discomposed thereby; at Plums & bought a new pair, for out-of-door wear. At Graingers & at Statford looking for something suitable to send as Xmas gift To JAR saw nothing, Must go to Deightons again. Wrote last evening to Miss King, a letter of condolence on her brother John's death.

Tuesday morning a letter from Uncle Clepham inviting me to Stockton for Xmas. Also a long one from Maria Walker, a very pleasant one; her lameness continues, but her education seems to go on well & the style of her letter is admirable. At Deightons, bought a writing case & ordered note paper for JAR. Wrote to Miss Smith in evening exhorting her to forget the Stockton affair & its results; telling her of our party, of Aunt hindering Jane's writing to her etc.

Mr. Needham went to Bristol to Mr Bass, who is dying.

In evening I wrote to Uncle Clepham in reply to his two letters, thanking but reluctantly declining his invitation for Xmas but promising to accept it by this day 9 months; on Miss Smiths resuming her old footings at York; inviting Uncle or Aunt & one of the youngsters to Worcester. Jane, John & Fred came down to tea this evening; Mr. Barnesley joined us; talking about Christmas parties & the difficulty of our raising one now that there is a split between Eliza & Jane; elucidating as much as we could of their quarrel, as I accompanied her home.

Letter of welcome length from dear Mother this morning announcing the departure of the parcel for us; with Christmas cheer; Miss Smith's party, of general intelligence; letter enclosed from Ned Walker, written in his quaint manner, with childish reminiscence.

Got Christmas No of the London News, a splendid double one had two copies, one of which I started off to Miss Russell today, as I had heard nothing of her for some time past. Fred came down with a note from Jane to say she didn't wish to be a hindrance to our having a Xmas eve party & would endeavor to procure a few lady visitors; but I don't want a repetition of the effects of our last party, with its unpleasant divisions for Charles George's proceeding in regard to Eliza Alforth don't seem to please anyone at all, except himself & perhaps her; Mr. Alforth forbids Eliza seeing him after his "clandestine" conduct; & the Boughton folks are in consternation that such going have originally began from their party.

In-doors all this morning; wrote to Maria in reply to her last, & after dinner I went to Boughton & CG into being in a sympathetic humour with them, went to College; I had long discussion with all of them about CG, in which I said I would be held in no way responsible for his conduct; back to tea at lodgings & then walked up to the Roses to ask Fanny & Mary Anne to come to my juvenile party on Xmas eve which I have decided to have; then to the Wilsons to ask them.

This morning a letter from Uncle Clepham saying he fully meant that Father & Mother were exempt from the charge he had brought against his York friends that they did not understand him; letter also from Miss Smith, with Christmas greetings.

Jones down last night, having been away for above a week owing to Charles George's general behaviour to him, he says, by which he supposes he was not so welcome as hither to he had been; long talk thereon & general explanation reviewed understanding. At the Natural History Socy room this evening to hear Mr. Hastings, a son of Sir Chas Hastings⁶⁷ deliver the first of a course of Charles on History beginning with the landing of Henry the 7th; he gave an excellent sketch of the state of England at this period, her laws, customs, manners of the people, the conditions of town & country; with a review of European affairs, a sketch of Columbus etc.- a very useful practical discourse.

Our juvenile party this evening; present Jane & Fred Walker, Mrs Jones, & Lizzy & Alice, Josua, Sarah, Ruth, Willy, Charley & Pruey Griffin⁶⁸; Mrs Hyde & Ernest; Wm Jobbins; Mary, Eliza, Rich & Emily Wilson; Fanny and Mary Anne Rose (my specials) Emily, Susan, Alice & Arthur Brock, Adelaide & Kate Hilbourne with CG, & self 30 of us; a very noisy party, the usual routine of games at forfeits, dancing & tea & supper; broke up about 2 o'clock.

Letter, a Christmas greeting from Uncle Clepham this morning. Jane & Fred had stayed all night, late breakfast together, then up with them to Boughton & had dinner there, Mr. Needham had invited self & CG to dinner with him & I accepted the invitation but considering after my vegetarian principles "their unsocial nature", I fairly request him to excuse & in a kindly spirit he did. From Boughton we went to Wilsons to tea & spent the evening there; the Roses there also. On Wednesday I sent Punch pocket book to Emma Vokes, with her perm almanac. & also blotting case to Jane Anne Riley⁶⁹; wrote letter to her & go to Jane. to write also & make & direct the letter; didn't get the note paper etc. in time to enclose.

On Friday morning a letter from Uncle Clepham with Christmas greeting; he is building a boat for his own family use- "The Elysian" by name, & hopes I shall sail in it next summer- I hope so too; in the evening Mrs. Griffin held her party; CG & I [were] there; Mr. Howells & their own family; tea & supper; blind man's buff; hunt the whistle, games at forfeits, country dances etc. & until 2 in the morning.

Saturday busy at the office; London News full of pantomime intelligence & illustrations; no note paper down from Deightons;- Began letter home this morning- Jones called & so did not complete it; he stayed [to] dinner & then we walked to his house; meeting Mr. N who was coming down to give directions as he was off to Bristol. - at Jones met Mr. Torn & Miss Bibbs, & then to the Richard's. Miss Harrison was also with us & all had tea at Jones; phrenological amusements; Jones discussing the "heads" of us; accompanied Miss Harrison home.

Long letter from Mother yesterday morning with a/c of the Christmas festivities at home; which were generally domestic parties; they had had a good laugh a Punch's, clever sketch (by Leed) of Prize Vegetarians. Mr. Saunders was talking on Saturday about it too; but a true cause is too hearty not to laugh with those who laugh at it.

Mr called today, the only Vegetarian in Worcester except myself, to have his name removed from the Socy. which I was only too pleased to do; he not being a "prize" one.

Sent London News to JAR yesterday. CG with Jane & Eliza Wilson (!) at Mr. Hastings lecture last night; I was too late at the office to go with them.- Letter yesterday morning from Maria Walker, whose lameness is fast decreasing; she is going to several parties; Mrs. Holt's among others; gives details of the Christmas doings at the Park; writes a very cheerful letter altogether.- In the evening I managed to finish my letter to Mother & got a pretty long one written, with account of Christmas doings; & retrospection of my progress, & how tho perfectly satisfied with everything round me, still I wait for something more.- No note paper from Deightons yet for JAR, which I had hoped to let her have for New Year's Day; wrote a letter to enclose when it does come, with a/c of my juvenile party in Xmas eve etc.

Jones came down in the evening & we managed to have a long walk together from the College to St Oswalds & to have a council on private matters, as I had wanted to consult him for some time past as to E.V & JAR; his good honourable heart, & experienced head making him capable of giving sound advice & having at the same time a sympathetic nature, he advises me to write to E.V. if I will know more of her, but thinks I had better let her die away; No- No.- I must see her frank beautiful face again & then forget her.- True- JAR's peaceful, truthful & pure mind is a pearl beyond price, & in the inner depths of my heart, she reigns, she reigns.

Who's Who

Accounts for December

Back to November Diary

Return to Table of Contents
Comments or questions to j.day@which.net