[Boston—Monday, 23 November 1868]
Monday. Wrote Sainte Beuve after reading his article on Ampére in the Revue, then went to walk & make visits. Found Adelaide Phillipps the delightful contralto singer, an excellent woman. She was able to give me good news of dear Lissie who was most kind to her in Paris. Also found Mrs Dorr, a restless woman of society not very clever who leaves something with you morally to correspond with a bad taste in your mouth physically—on the other hand she is an honest woman doing kind deeds and trying to live well—but she is a flea on society I fear much as Mr. Emerson once said Abby Folsom was “the flea of conventions.”
Lovely sunset and moonlight and a poem in any heart which I cannot find the repose and freedom to write. The fault is mine—so who knows what may come tomorrow, knowing this.
