[London—Thursday, 7 October 1869]

Thursday Evening. Dined at Mr. Motley’s. He gave us a description of D’Israeli. They were visiting together last week at the same country house. He fails in one quality seldom lacking in the English gentleman. He is not simpatico. With the strongest desire to be kind & amiable he does not attract others. There is something curious too about his eyes. They are like onyx. They do not look at you but gaze as if they look through you at some shade beyond.

Mr. Moran who was at table spoke of an interview which Mr. Bright told of in relation to himself and America. He was standing at a railway station one day when a lady driving near and recognizing him, stopped her vehicle, jumped out & asking permission to shake hands with him as an American woman, “one of a people who all love you for what you have done for them”; I could have wept continued Mr. Bright as I stood there, to think how little I had done and yet if each one of our people had done only as little how great, how different might have been the feeling between the two nations now.


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