Diary of Annie Adams Fields

Monday. Still at Lynton. The day was calm and the view soothing. Among the most exquisite scenery in the world we found ourselves yesterday afternoon when we drove to The Waters Meet, reminding me of some of the Swiss river valleys, though comparisons seem more absurd than ever before when I...

Tuesday 13. Left Lynton early (by 8 o’clock) for Ilfracombe by carriage. The day was perfect, the whole scene most lovely. Over bits of moor, between high hedges with the purple heather coming out in friezes along the way, rounding headlands with the grand sea almost always in view. We came in...

Wednesday. Came by stage to Dunstable where we saw more quaint signs and names. An inn called “The Ring of Bells” a firm, Hortop & Petter. “The Mortal Man” was the name of an inn near Troutbeck in the Lake country. We arrived in Torquay before night by rail.

Thursday. We came to Bath and went to the Robertsons in the evening at The Grove Batheaston. A beautiful house and flattering reception. The dear old man gave us a military salute as we drove up.

Friday. Drove about Bath; a wonderful old decaying and decayed watering place and yet full of live splendor too.

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...

Sunday. Went to hear Stopford Brooke preach—on prayer. A brave wonderful discourse, such as can be produced only by the working of the spirit in a man. Clearly it was not of himself.

Monday. Longfellow arrived from France near midnight without his luggage. Jamie sat up till after morning came, with him. He is well, but glad to be going home, tired with travel and nothing would tempt him to stay over his appointed steamer.

Tuesday. Went to dine & pass the night with Mr. Macmillan. He drove us through a part of London we had never visited before and carried us to Mr. Carlyle’s door. The great man had unfortunately for us gone to the country, his health being broken by lack of sleep just now. A queer little maid...

Thursday [sic] July 21st I wish I could find time to write about Alexander Ireland of Manchester who came to breakfast with us this morning. We were introduced by Mr. Emerson who is an old friend of his and by whom Mr. Emerson was admired and loved on his first visit to England in 1833 before he...

Friday. I feel incompetent before this London life! One impression runs the chance of succeeding another before it bites in. The young son of Fredrick Robertson of Brighton has just gone out. He is in the Legation office in London not inheriting the strong taste of his ancestors for the army. He...

Saturday. July 24th for Paris. Mr. Dickens, Mary, & Miss Hogarth came to lunch. We had a merry time enough. They were all going to Teddington to dine and were wishing we were all going too. We all talked and laughed together but Dickens did not talk especially more than the rest. Katie says she...

Sunday August 1st at Interlacken! A week has flown. We attempted our journey to Brittany getting as far as Rouen only where one hot night “Au cinquième” and flea-bitten at that made Jamie so uncomfortable that we took counsel together and considering our short time concluded to go to...

Monday. Severe rain—roamed about the village, read Hyperion—dined to the sound of pleasant music which relieved the tedium of the table d’hôte.

Tuesday a perfect day—drove to Grindelwald.

Wednesday more perfect if possible—went to Lauterbrunnen, ascended the Mürren. A day of wondrous loveliness. Met Mrs Kemble coming down. She did not recognize us in our Swiss costumes but we should of course know her anywhere. Lay on the grass looking towards the Silberhorn till soul and body...

Thursday. Rain, rain. We were not sorry but remained in the house all day—reading and resting.

Friday. The morning lovely, but rain shut down soon again.

Saturday. Raining still. Lissie paints, I read “Hyperion” aloud, Mabel carves the head of her Alpen-Stock. We three J. M. & I think of England. Dinner is like going to the theatre, music & all.

Sunday. The sky begins to clear. In the evening walked to the Village of Unterseen with a pretty young lady, Miss Thies who came to visit us and who lived beyond the Aar. Returning we came upon a party of Mountebanks. They had lighted a fire below the slack rope and the whole scene was...

Monday August 9th To Meiringen. Mabel was ill and as she lay in her room she saw a long black worm come out of the old ceiling and look about him and then retreat silently. We walked about the remote village and sat down in the lovely sunshine under the castle of Resti. It was all very wild; the...

Wednesday. Morning a little brighter, thought we would attempt the Grimsel wisely promising ourselves to return at any moment. Got as far as the village of Guttanen, stormier and stormier; Jamie grew quite unhappy at the thought of our two days journey in the rain and snow. (For travellers...

Thursday 12th August. Lovely morning. Walked away from Lungern towards Lucerne—carriage following. Beautiful journey, reached the lake soon after midday. Met more Americans en route than we had seen since we left America—Lorriner Goshen among others who startled us the next morning before we...

Friday. Exquisite day. Walked to the Lion.

Saturday. Walked to the Pension Sonnenberg, up hill an hour to see the Dresels, found her ill in bed and rather home sick. Glad enough to see me. What a change from her two pleasant homes in America to this boarding house up stairs on the top of a mountain.