Sunday, December 03, 2006

07Apr1862, Monstrous Mechanism on the Sea

HAGLEY, Monday, April 7th, 1862.
—A horrible little iron battery of the Americans has been destroying a beautiful great man-of-war : proving the uselessness of all that one once called ships, and looking like the beginning of the end of all " Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war," which will be reduced to mere monstrous mechanism, on the sea.

01Apr1862, Odd party at dinner

HAGLEY, Tuesday, April 1st, 1862.
—Warm rain nearly all day. Congregation 3 ! but then the weather accounts for it. Uncle Stephen seems very well, trolls away just like himself : has been making out a list of all the old churches he has seen in England : 250 in Kent alone ! Club, the girls and At. E. helping. I wrote a long letter to darling Nevy for his Confirmation to-morrow. Papa went away for it. We were an odd party at dinner, Uncle St., Edward, Albert, and I. I sat with Miss W. in the evening.

22Feb1862, Arthur a page

HAGLEY, Saturday, February 22nd, 1862.
—Arthur is gazetted as Page to the Queen.

12Feb1862, Tennyson on the Prince

HAGLEY, Wednesday, February 12th, 1862.
—Tennyson has written some beautiful lines on the Prince.

11Feb1862, Kidderminster Volunteer Ball

HAGLEY, Tuesday, February 11th, 1862.
—Papa and I to the Kidderminster Volunteer ball, he in uniform. A guard of honour (rifles) received us : rather blowing.' It was a pretty, lively ball.

10Feb1862, Melancholy partings

ALTHORP, Monday, February 10th, 1862.
—Melancholy partings : Tallee, the Princess and her child went, also At. Henrietta. I cuddled much with Tallee and the Prss., read them my bit of poetry " Evening and Morning " (with a translation ! ! !) and the kind Prss. made me write them in her book. Shall I ever see her again, I wonder ? She has such wonderfully deep, true feelings for a foreigner, and a Romanist.

08Feb1862, Spencer's Fairy Queen

ALTHORP, Saturday, February 8th, 1862.
Papa and Althorp and Major Reilly hunted and had a good run in spite of a sharp frost. I had a particularly nice walk with Charlotte, and loved her more and more, for besides being "lovely and pleasant" in her outward self, she is so in her gentle ingenuous thoughts, simplicity and truth. Dear old Tallee came to stay over Sunday. For the evening, we played a freak : appeared Charlotte, the Prss., [FN: Princess Camporeale] At. Henrietta, Tallee and I, all in powdered hair twined back over a high "pelote," with lace handkerchief at top. In which historical attire we danced majestically. Every one of us looked the better, the Prss. perhaps the most decidedly so, and At. Henrietta amazingly well; but Charlotte looked too lovely and bewitching.

07Feb1862, Hair amazingly done up

ALTHORP, Friday, February 7th, 1862.
—Tolerably keen frost. Spencer hunting again. I had much chatter with little Mlle Beccadelli, who made a little attempt (which failed) to convert me ! I borrowed a religious book of hers to look at, and was a good deal dismayed ; also surprised at the inferiority of the prayers to ours, in point of composition. The little girl said that when, unable to confess to a Priest, she did so alone, to God, she had not the same sense of pardon and peace. Which sounded awful to me. We drove pleasantly in the aft. Papa to play chess with Mrs. Morton. Charlotte and At. Henrietta pounced upon me, and practised many experiments on my hair (now growing thick), ending in turning me out amazingly done up, with it twined back over a rouleau on each side. They say powder days are coming back.

In the papers, Ld. Dufferin's speech moving the Address, beautiful and overpowering, as far of it as related to the Prince. Two fine prints of the Queen and Prince arrived, given by the Queen.

05Feb1862, Fox Hunting at Althorp

ALTHORP, Wednesday, February 5th, 1862.
—Delightful day. Althorp mounted me on a nice, spirited, high-stepping little horse called Friar Tuck, and (driving to West Haddon) I joined Tallee and we went to the great meet at Crick. There must have been nearly 300 — I didn't see the fox go away ; but it was almost as beautiful to see the sudden unanimous start of the whole field, without apparent cause, and away we streamed at a gallop. But alack ! Tallee's horse wdn't take the mildest ditch even, so we came to a stop in the 2nd field, not however before freely enjoying the glorious start, and seeing many leaps, and more than one tumble. It didn't much signify, for anyhow we were not going to follow any distance. So we resigned ourselves with tolerable philosophy, and had about given up hope, after quite losing them and having half an hour's meandering in the field, when suddenly we came right upon them again, followed during a nice little run (with gates handy !), saw some lovely leaps, and at last left them of our own accord, to be in time for Guilsborough luncheon. Saw Lord Fending and Col. (W.) Feilding, the latter of whom had a tremendous tumble. Unlucky Mr. Horace Seymour was thrown early in the day, and his horse, running away and leaping a high fence, pitched on his head and broke his neck ! Papa in his glory on a gigantic, powerful creature called Shamrock more than 16 hds high, rode over everything, tho' not as perfect as on Marmion ! Nice talk the while with Tallee, and at Guilsborough saw At. Yaddy and the tinies, they grown but looking rather delicate, but Vay improved in looks. Granny showed me the most piteous heart-broken letter, which she has received from the Queen, who has sent her a miniature photograph of the Prince in a brooch. Letter from John. Pleasant playing and whist in the evening.