[Boston—Thursday, 31 January 1867]

Thursday Jan. 30 [sic]. Passed the evening at Mrs R.H. Dana’s in Cambridge, Lissie & J. & I. We met there James Lowell & his wife—she looking very beautiful with the head of a Greek lady, worthy to have known Clytie, he witty and handsome as ever—Mrs Charles Lowell & her daughter Anna (I had seen neither of them since the sad war-days when we looked & worked through tears) The latter told me she had established of late an industrial home for the Freedpeople who choose to come to it in Cambridgeport. It is a perfect success but a most difficult matter to carry on.

The two Misses Palfrey, the Howells, Mr Longfellow made up the little company. Longfellow sat by me and told me of an amusing interview he had in younger days with Jules Janin. He happened to speak of this because he said however interesting such reminiscences were in conversation he thought they seldom contained legitimate matter for book-making and Ward’s Life of Percival had disgusted him deeply both from Percival’s own character which was neither sympathetic or harmonious and because of the unjustifiable things related of him by others. He said he was much relieved when he discovered he was not to be called upon to contribute to the volume. This strain of thought recalled Jules Janin whom he called upon with a letter of introduction when he first went to Paris. The servant said her master was at home and he was ushered in immediately into a small parlor in one corner of which was a small winding stair leading up to the room above. Here he waited an instant while she carried in his card, returning almost immediately to say he could go up. In the room above sat Janin under the hands of a barber his abundant locks shaken up in wild confusion, nevertheless he received his guest quite undisturbed as if that were a matter of course. There was no fire in the room but the fire place was heaped with letters and envelopes with a trail of the same from his desk on the table to the grate. He shook the young stranger cordially by the hand as time came for departure saying, “What can I do for you in Paris, whom would you like to see?” “I would like to know Madame George Sand.” “Unfortunately that is impossible, I have just quarrelled with Madame Sand.” “Ah, then Alexandre Dumas, I should like to speak to him.” “But I have quarrelled with him also, but no matter, vous perdrez vos illusions.” Mr Longfellow added “I remember the phrase well and the way in which he said it. However he invited me to dine the next day and I had a singular experience.

The company consisted of himself and his wife, a little redheaded man who was rather quiet and cynical and myself. Janin was amusing and noisy, talked and laughed and carried the talk on swimmingly. Presently he began however to say hard things about women when his wife looked up reproachfully and said “Déjà Jules.” During the meal a dramatic author came and Janin ordered him shown in. He treated the poor fellow brutally who in turn bowed low to the great power. He did not even ask him to take a chair. Madame did however & kindly too. The poor man supplicated the attendance of the critic at his play’s first appearance. Janin would not promise to go but put him off indefinitely and presently the poor fellow went away. Mr Longfellow said he tingled with indignation at the treatment the man received but Janin looked over to his wife saying, “Well, my dear I treated this one pretty well didn’t I.” Better than sometimes, Jules, was her reply. Altogether it was a queer scene for the young poet to witness and one which would not be common in our day I hope & believe even in Paris.

Lowell said his daughter Mabel was learning Latin and dabbling in languages. She knew nothing of cooking and housekeeping but he could not quite tell how to help that under the present housekeeping system—as for the Latin she seemed busy in making herself disagreeable to the other sex without it might be to Cicero if she should chance to meet him.


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