Tuesday. Nov: 15.
I have not written a word in my diary for this week,—& why? Because this day week I went to Malvern—& now I must go on in a diary-cal way.
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On Tuesday, Gent drove me there, & after a long happy day, when at half past three he appeared with the carriage Mr. Boyd had begged me so much about staying, that I sent him home with a note instead of me. On Wednesday Henry brought the carriage for me,—& in spite of everybody’s entreaties I had wished everybody goodbye, when he observed “Well!— it is sure to break down!—& Saunders[1] says so too.” And then I was informed of a breakage in the seat which wd. make my situation on it very precarious indeed. Therefore it was agreed that Henry shd. ride home the poney & leave the vehicle with Mr. Saunders. How happy I felt!--
I walked out with Mr. Boyd today, in front of the house!—
On Thursday, no poney was sent, & no carriage done! On Friday Sam arrived with a kind note from Bummy—but at the same time came a letter to Mrs. Boyd announcing the death of poor Miss Bordman’s father,[2] & I could not think of the joy of staying another day. Poor poor Miss Bordman!— I went in to the room where she lay on the sofa, the tears rolling down her cheeks. She threw her arms around my neck & kissed me, & I talked to her as well as I could, of the love of Him who afflicteth not willingly!—[3] She bore it strongly in His strength!
I returned to Mr. Boyd, & walked out with him, & then we went on reading!
Read the letter from Papa which Sam had brought me, & which I could not read at first, on account of being a good deal agitated by the bad news. Read it to Mr. Boyd. Bummy came to see me in Mrs. Cliffe’s carriage. Very very kind of her!—
I am surprised at Miss Bordman’s equanimity. She is amiable & has feeling, but not impassioned feeling!—
On Saturday, nothing came for me!— But Mr. Curzon most kindly, to see Miss Bordman.
On Sunday, there was a letter from Henrietta & Arabel: I was annoyed today by Mr. Boyd having Miss Boyd in his room so much longer than usual. For annoyed, read pained. I think I am never annoyed simply!— Miss Bordman’s spirits quite astonish me!— Well! we should thank God for it!— Mr. Boyd asked me last night to propose going to the chapel today. It wd. be a kindness to Mrs. Boyd who seemed to have given up going to church or chapel, & who would sooner do it to please me than to please him!! Well! I hinted my wish as broadly as was civil! But she wd. not go—not even to please me!— And there was no appearance of reading the bible, or passing the sabbath according to the bible!— How much happier Mrs. Boyd & Annie wd. be, could they be enabled to draw nearer the only source of real happiness!—
On Monday I read to Mr. Boyd; & wrote a letter for him besides, to Mr. Barker. He seemed at a loss for something to say; & I suggested sending the political epigrams. “Oh yes” said Mr. Boyd—“they will fill up.” “I suppose that is your motive for sending them to me!” [“]No! I do assure you! No, Indeed! My motive for sending them to you, was the mere wish of amusing you a little. You have not much judgement in every thing”. [“]I suppose in nothing—but in thinking that you are not cross—” “You have not—certainly—, in that.” We had been talking about the crossness which he persevered in attributing to himself. Mrs. Boyd attributed it to him—& he for his own part, was quite conscious that he had sometimes spoken crossly to me. Never in his life!—
He does not like Miss Bordman as much as he used to do. He says that he does not like her much. The reason is that she evidently does not value his society. Now if she had valued it, the reason wd. have weighed the other way—& she might have been preferred to me. He does not like my quick way of talking—“But if you had not that, you wd. be too fascinating — — & agreable”— Nonsense— We argued about his absence of mind. I think he has at least as much as I have!—
Mrs, Boyd came to tell me that the carriage was come! I had hoped, & Mr. Boyd’s smile had seemed to hope, that the rain wd. have prevented its coming. I could not help shedding tears, as I said good bye!--
I think it was on Friday night, when I spoke to Mr. Boyd of the business of 1829’s spring.[4] A defence! but not such a one as I can think of with much satisfaction. We read a great deal of Gregory Nazianzen, during the course of my visit. I have marked the passages in my Gregory.[5] He proposed to me to translate the two orations against Julian—& to translate the Prometheus into blank verse. I begged him to do it, instead of me; & there the entreaties dropped!—
On my arrival at home on Monday, Occyta came running down stairs to meet me as if he were delighted. Dearest little thing!— Afterwards he sate on my knee, & I told him stories.—
Mrs. Boyd proposed Annie’s returning with me,—& I was obliged after a good deal of consideration & embarassment, to tell her why we were unwilling to have her with us. In my absence, off ran my squirrel. How provoking!—
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Tuesday. 15 Nov.
By the newspapers, cholera seems to be retreating.[6] No letter from Papa! I hear that he has been written to about withdrawing his cattle from the park which is taken together with the rest of the land, by Ward. I began a letter to Mr. Boyd, which I shall not be able to send, on account of the snow.
1. Not identified, but from the context probably the local blacksmith.
2. The Kentish Gazette, 11 November 1831, under DEATHS: “Nov. 9, at Preston next Wingham, the Rev. James Bordman, M.A. late of Oriel College, Oxford, and Curate of Ickham, in this county.”
3. Lam. iii.33: “For he doth not affict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”
4. This is taken to refer to her repeated refusal to visit H.S.B. for more than six months after the death of her mother, despite his entreaties.
5. The marginalia in WG indicate that their readings covered: a) Orat. 3, “Adversus Julianum, I.” On p. 76: “Read for the third time with Mr. Boyd. Novr. 1831.” (2½ cols.); b) Orat. 4, “Adversus Julianum, II.” On p. 129: “Read with Mr. Boyd Nov. 1831.” (Amount read is not clear.); c) Orat. 20, “In Laudem Basilii.” On p. 371: “Read with Mr. Boyd. Novr. 1831.” (2½ cols.); d) Orat. 35, “De Filio, I.” On p. 574: “Read with Mr. Boyd twice. I did not finish the passage the first time at Malvern in 1830, but at Malvern Wells, Novr. 1831.” (Nearly 2 cols.); e) Orat. 43, “In Novam Dominicam.” On p. 703: “Read with Mr. Boyd Novr. 12 & 13th. 1831, at Malvern Wells.” (Nearly 2 cols.)
6. The Times, 14 November 1831: “Lieutenant-Colonel Creagh, in his despatches from Sunderland of the 10th of November, states that he has pleasure in reporting, for the information of the Lords of the Privy Council, that only one slight case of cholera has occurred in that town since his communication of the 9th.” This “retreat” was only temporary; by the end of the year 525 cases had been reported in Sunderland, 196 of them fatal (The Times, 29 December 1831).
