April
Fidgety day, & at 1/4 to 6 at the Railway Station with CG, Aunt Wilson & Mary, and there met dear Father & Mother and with them - Uncle Clepham! So I had a surprise & a welcome one after all; Mother better, Father & Uncle hearty; all safe with a loss of only a basket of eggs, which slipped away to London in the surprise of meeting Uncle at Derby, he having come up from Leicester & joined them there.
At College (all of us) and then to the Locks & back in the afternoon. Father, Uncles Clepham and Wilson, CG, Jones (who called and got his introduction) & I took a cab to Malvern, opened, smoked cigars, looking gentish; upon to the Hills & on to the Wyche, and back by 8 to tea- talking out the evening.
With Father in the town a little. Had a quiet evening in my rooms, - Mother & Father, CG & I forming a nice quartet for whist; CG & I beating Mother & Father- giving my deserted rooms the air of Home.
Harriet Mayfield called this morning, and with mother talking with her some time; sorry to see her, lost in reputation; trust the influence of Mother will be beneficial to her. Mother and Father calling on old friends and cronies.
Mary, Eliza, CG, Father, Mother & I walked up the Tolladine Road, crossing the fields to Crowle Road & on to Perry Wood, getting glimpses over Worcester; To Wilsons, surprising them by a fearful inroad to dinner; at office and back, tea at Wilsons, Mary Ann Brooks called to see Mother; had to dispose of her scientifically, without I or Father seeing her; She looks more "wandering" than ever.-
Father, Mother, CG & I started in cab to "Holt Fleet"28 by 10:30 a.m. & walked up to the Weir; beautiful scenery; summery day; pleasant companions.- Tea at Mrs. Smiths in her splendid room with prospect of the country. Back by 7 o'clock after a happy day.
Father and I at Theatre to see some of the Old York players29: Reynolds, & his two daughters, Mr. and Mrs. Poynter, Lewis Ball etc. Macbeth & the Village Lawyer, the pieces; Miss Agnes Kemble playing Lady Macbeth, she is a member of the great Kemble family but nothing more than ordinary; her features are noble & expressive but her acting is very tame & insipid; the whole play wretchedly "put on".
Father has been talking of going these last two days but will stay over tomorrow on the condition I get holiday, which I did, calling on Mr. N at the house after leaving work, for that purpose then walking on the Ketch tea-gardens to join Father, Mother, Miss Griffin, Mrs. Jones, CG & the Wilsons with Jane who were there; playing at ball; by the river to Wilsons to tea & home by 11 after walking up to Boughton with Jane.
This morning CG, Father & Mother & I started by the 9:15 coach for Malvern30and got to St. Anne's Well just as the first thunder storm of the season broke out; Father & Mother back into the village but CG & I kept on to the Wyche & lunched at a little shop there to an alarming extent; shower while there; back into Village; returned to Worcester by 4 o'clock coach; CG & I got off at Bransford Bridge and went round to Boughton for Maria & Jane & kept waiting an hour caught in Broad St. in heavy storm; refuge in Birleys, rest having umbrellas went on;
Father left at 7:10 this morning for home after the longest stay from there I every remember his making; he would appear to have enjoyed himself too, which is a gratification.
Father's visit has been a noisy uproarious one; everyone has been attracted by him.
With Mother in town yesterday afternoon & indoors with CG & her all the evening. At Wilsons this evening for Mother, with CG; Eliza has conceived a violent affection for CG & exhibits it in a most outrageous fashion threatening to kill him utterly; letter from Father announcing his safe arrival at home, finding everything in trim;
Mother had [a] letter from him this morning wishing her back on Thursday; but she wrote to say Tuesday & after some demurring I was forced to give in.
Mother's presence day by day, with the shorter visits of Father, Uncle Clepham, & Uncle Charles have given an importance to my stay here so as to make me look a permanent fixture; they come to see me, not I to them; I am strong enough to revolve on my own axis, & I draw others into my sphere of action as I was formerly drawn into theirs. Mother's stay has been quiet & gentle; I pray it may exercise a good influence over me; we spoke in allusions indistinct, about the home in the future which I should now mark out.
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