[Boston—Sunday, 1 December 1872]
Sunday Dec. 1st Yesterday visited several homes of sewing girls to see what was their condition. Found several Irish women on my list who did not especially excite my sympathy, one bright girl must be taken care of. I shall however arrange for them to come to me as far as possible that I may understand them pretty well before giving money away. In the afternoon I went down to see the dinner of turkey and good things to the poor creatures at the North End. I never saw creatures eat in a more determined and unending fashion. There was enough for them to carry away also. In the evening we changed the scene again and went to see Mr & Mrs Boucicault at the Globe Theatre. John Weiss and Robert Collyer went with us. The character of Kerry as played by B. was one of [the] most perfect things we had ever seen.
Our great treat this week has been reading the 2d Vol. of Forster’s life of Dickens wh. was sent to us in sheets. We hardly breathed until we had read every word. I think if people will ponder this life of Dickens they will discover a greatness in the man which they were before ignorant of. Such unending power of work, such universal care for others, such intensity of absorption in whatever was before him, has never been portrayed before. Were there a life of William Shakespeare we should there doubtless see a parallell [sic] experience. Both lived many years in one, and the lives of both closed before the usual number of days had passed allotted to the lives of mortal men. The fun and pathos of this book brings his dear presence back to us again with intense vividness. Jamie wrote at once to Forster.
Thanksgiving has passed over with a pleasant family party at L’s. I have done no literary work and have scarcely read a book beside this since we came from the country but the time is still to come. Agassiz has returned and was at the Saturday Club yesterday where Jamie went in the afternoon. We have both been quietly at home today. I slept part of the time trying to gather again some of the vitality which the cold weather and work of yesterday subtracted.
Hunt’s studio having burned up, utterly burned to nothing, he has bravely taken a new one though his whole youth he said seemed to have gone up in the flames.
