[Boston—Tuesday, 30 October 1866]
Tuesday. A sudden household convulsion. Katy the cook thinks she must go with Ann and so both will depart tomorrow. I “flew around” yesterday and have a new cook coming.
Jamie has found new papers never collected in Fraser by Thackeray. He is making a book of them. Yesterday went to Lissie’s studio to pose for “Maríana”—figure hardly drawn in when I fainted away. Ignominious conclusion!
Hepworth Dixon lunched with us again on Sunday and J. took him out to Longfellows. We gave him some hot American talk, he’s one of the bullying drinking intellectual buff Englishmen who has reached notoriety by his cleverness in literature and now kicks the ladder away by which he rose. He is chiefly interested in politics and driving hard for parliament.
A noble rain storm has broken in one of the upper windows—driving warm wind, magnificent clouds, at home all day with but little accomplished except housekeeping and reading Maria Stuarda in Italian for Ristori this evening.
