Tuesday Oct. 18.
Went to Malvern with Ann, & Billy as an Automaedon,[1] according to Mr. Boyd. Everybody in bed. Mrs. Boyd “motioned” me into her room. & there we discussed Mr. Biscoe, the probability, of a letter arriving from him that day, & the possible nature of its contents. Mrs. B doubted his faith. I did not. An embassy from Annie took me up into her room, where I found herself & Miss Bordman in bed together. From thence I went in to Mr. Boyd who had breakfasted. I spent a happy day with him, hearing him repeat passages from the Prometheus, & conversing. Miss Hurd was in the house; for he had sent for her, supposing that everybody was going to Hope End & that he wd. be left alone. She came into his room only for a short time—& the paper was read to him only a little. Altogether I had nothing to complain of.
A letter from Mr. Biscoe! Mrs. Boyd is right. A cold letter! a resolved letter! He relinquishes for ever, Annie’s love!— This—this is the love of Man! We were much afraid, even I was, of the effect of this letter upon her; but she bore it as calmly as I should bear my squirrel’s running away. That such a conclusion should take place, is happiest for both of them!—
Well! I had wished Mr. Boyd good bye,—& had put on my hat, & was tying on my cloak, when Annie proposed my staying all night. I resisted—She insisted—And my heart let go its hold in a moment!— The temptation was too great!— Wrote a note to Bummy, & sent away the carriage. The plan is, to go home with Mrs. Boyd tomorrow; but in the case of her not going, I begged Bummy to drive for me to the Wyche.
A letter from Mr. Barker. Miss Bordman took it in to Mr. Boyd & read it to him. I am afraid-- Mr. Barker speaks a good deal about me & my letters, & his pressure of business, & intention of writing to me. I thought I was disfranchised from his correspondence—put into schedule A.[2] Shd. not be distressed about it, if I were--
Mr. Boyd seemed pleased at my staying. He did not-seem so much pleased just at first. He said, “Ah! ANN had to say only a word to induce you to remain.” My answer was—“But if I had thought only of Ann, perhaps I wd. not have remained”. And then I explained the broad line of difference between staying from home, one night, & many nights. Miss Steers came immediately after tea, & I was obliged to play a game at chess with Annie. Afterwards Mrs. Boyd dismissed me to Mr. Boyd. Sate with him until past eleven!—
1. The mythological charioteer of Achilles.
2. Schedule A of the Reform Bill listed the 57 boroughs that would no longer return Members to Parliament.
