[Boston—Friday, 27 November 1868]
Day after Thanksgiving. Good dinner at L’s. J. and I came to the conclusion after breakfast that few people could count their intimate friends among their own relatives and that family parties always were and always must be, trying things.
Visit from Mary Felton. She is full of word for the Freedpeople. I will help her there.
Have omitted an account of a long evening visit from Rev. John Lord, a quasi historian and lecturer who is the original of some of Mr. Fields’ most humorous stories. He was the man who described his coming history “take Gibbons’ fact, and John Lord’s style and you will have a great book.” He was full of queer remarks about a coming series (20 I believe or some monstrous number) for which he is anxious to enlist the sympathies of “the ladies.” Yesterday he put his head into Mr. Fields’ office while he was busy. “I’ll only put in half my body to tell you they say it is sweeping across the city like a whirlwind.” Then he disappeared with an unctuous laugh for which he is known. The “it” was the fame of his lectures.
