[Boston—Wednesday, 21 November 1866]
Wednesday morning. Yesterday warm & muggy. Mr & Mrs J. Lorimer Graham Jr. dined here with Howells, wife & sister and Aldrichs. Graham recounted very vividly his former experience at sea (he sails tomorrow). Aldrich was witty as usual and there was a running fire of wit.
Today a brilliant morning passed at home. I can’t help thinking how strangely we are all constituted; when I remember the Grahams with money enough apparently to throw away yet contented no where. His description of a sweet young Irish girl who appeared in the lower cabin of the San Francisco (when she was wrecked years ago as he was going in her to Japan) in the night-dress and hair wildly streaming crying, “I have seen the Banshee” and of her being composed by the old clergyman and led back, to her cabin on the upper deck only to be swept off an hour later into the seas, was vivid and startling.
Wednesday eve. Mr Longfellow and Alice came in to have a cup of tea preparatory for the opera. He was sweet and sad as ever, sad beneath somehow. He asked Lissie about Tom Trollope and his history of Florence which they both find singularly careless in manner though evidently the facts are carefully digested. Longfellow is busied always upon his Dante notes wanting books to consult, the Cento Novelle, Coleridge and others. Mr Greene was to have been here. We walked across the Common together, he talking much of Ernest and his love for painting. It pleases him that one of his boys should have a love for art, love enough to devote himself to it.
Mrs Kellogg had sent us a private box—at first the key was not to be found, but when found and we were fairly established a number of other people were admitted who claimed it with some rudeness; after a while it was decided that ours was on the other side of the house, so we went round and enjoyed Crispino et la Comare very much. Ronconi singing well & the little Kellogg too. Mr Longfellow tried to keep out of sight and was disconcerted when Miss Kellogg’s compliments were sent up with the desire to see him behind the scenes, however J. went with him and I think they enjoyed their call on the pretty contatini who really was looking very pretty in a white wig and pink roses and gay brocade dress. On the whole Longfellow enjoyed the evening quite well especially as Alice enjoyed it very much indeed but it would bore him to come often. The finished acting of Ronconi pleased him.
The night was cool and brilliant, clouds scudding about in the blue black sky lighted by the moon.
