[Bath—Saturday, 17 July 1869]
Saturday. Came to Oxford at noon, and did Oxford pretty thoroughly. We were there during the afternoon and saw the gardens and the buildings as we had never done before under a perfect afternoon sunshine. Oxford [h]as been too often and too well talked about to make it seem easy to even speak of the rapture we felt as we passed from point to point that beautiful afternoon. Addison’s walk was quite as lovely as in the old days when he loved it so well, but I think the cloisters of New College impressed us as much as anything. Quite deserted, day and time seemed sleeping there together as we left the echoing cloisters in the sunset.
Came by night express to London and slept soundly enough the next morning which we found a very warm one.
Had a little shock as I was sitting in my bones with muslin spread over them by having Mr. Dickens and Mrs Dallas announced. I thought nobody could know we were here. However it proved all a mistake—only Mrs Dallas came to ask J. to help her about getting to America.
