Wednesday, April 22, 2009

04Dec1865, Poodle Byng's 81st Birthday Dinner

CHATSWORTH, December 4th, 1865.—Poodle Byng is 81 to-day : we drank his health at dinner, and he made a good little speech, returning thanks. He remembers dancing at Devinshire House 72 years ago, when the late Duke was 3 or 4 years old. He was born long before the great Fr. Revolution was even thought of. To-day he walked up to the Stand, and a good deal besides, but he seems altered and rather stiffened. Lou, Emma, and I presented him with a photograph stand containing our 3 selves.

Monday, April 20, 2009

03Dec1865, A Dear Happy Day

CHATSWORTH, December 3rd, 1865.
—A dear happy day, full of help and blessing. My Sundays have not the delight they used to have in beautiful services, but this makes me the more appreciate the feeling of refreshment and renewal, when it comes ; for it must be straight from Heaven, I hope. We read Vaughan and "Xtian Year."

02Dec1865, Too Much of a Massacre

CHATSWORTH, December 2nd, 1865.
—I went with Claud and Fr. Howd. to see the cover shooting which was too much of a massacre to be quite pleasing.

30Nov1865, Fred's Birthday

CHATSWORTH, November 30th, 1865.
—My darling Fred 29 to-day : it seems a little old to me, alack ! I gave him a pair of muffatees, which have cost me gigantic efforts ! God grant us our heart's desire, if it is His Will, to make a new sunshine over Fred's next birthday.

28Nov1865, Lacaita Delights with 'Cinque Maggio'

CHATSWORTH, November 28th, 1865.
Sir James Lacaita delighted many of us with a spout of Tasso, but especially with the glorious "Cinque Maggio."

27Nov1865, Lord Houghton Spouts His Poetry

CHATSWORTH, November 27th, 1865.
Lord Houghton spouted 2 of his bits of poetry, but ill. "Long ago" is lovely.

25Nov1865, My Wisest Advice

CHATSWORTH, November 25th, 1865.
—Evening whist, with the Houghtons and Mr. Howard, while the rest of the world, except the Duke, Ly. Newburgh, Aunt Fanny, and old slowcoach Fred, played billiard-battle : even Lord Stanley. [FN: The statesman ; afterwards 15th Earl of Derby : not a person much given to the lighter side of life.] Freddy Howard has much touched my heart by an outpour of his fervent attachment to a Miss Horrocks whom he met abroad. It seems he was a little snubbed by authorities, which he thought hard "when people come to a certain age." He is barely 19 ! and the damsel 20. I gave him my wisest advice : specially to wait till he was two-and-twenty before considering himself of a certain age.

22Nov1865, Dudley Marries Moncrieffe

CHATSWORTH, November 22nd, 1865.
—Yesterday Lord Dudley married Miss Georgina Moncrieffe, a beautiful girl under 20. Charles was best man ! but must have looked more like the bridegroom.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

16Nov1865, Meriel Expecting No. 5

CHATSWORTH, November 16th, 1865.
—Dear old Meriel and John came. She looks very well, though, alas ! No. 5 hopes to arrive next June. It is a sad trial to the poor old thing, who would stop very willingly at 4 ; and would have been satisfied to have no children at all, which is all but inconceivable to me.

15Nov1865, Trevelyan's 'Cawnpore'

CHATSWORTH, November 15th, 1865.
—I finished Mr. Trevelyan's book, "Cawnpore," which is fearfully graphic and said to be entirely accurate. I can remember, even in the midst of our own great grief in the autumn of 1857, the frightful heart-rending news from India, and specially the massacre of women and children : the outcries for vengeance, and the day of humiliation. It has left a horror and shudder at India in my heart which I can never get rid of.

10Nov1865, Lord Boyle and Heart Ache

CHATSWORTH, November 10th, 1865.
—Poor Lord Boyle [FN: Afterwards 5th Earl of Shannon. He had lately lost his wife, who had been Lady Blanche Lascelles, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Harewood.] poured out to me some of his terrible trials, and made my heart ache. His home miserable, from the unkindness and extravagance of his parents—himself with no occupation, and with the light of his eyes gone. His children, poor little fellows, seem to be more anxiety than pleasure to him now that they are motherless, as is very natural. It is most piteous.

31Oct1865, Snap-dragon and Salt

CHATSW ORTH, October 31st, 1865.
—My Fred went with the others to shoot, and then to Leeds, where he was to hold forth on Schools of Art ; and be back to-night at one. The Cawdors and two daughters, Aunt Fanny, husband and daughters, and Mr. Philips came. Lord Cawdor, his daughters told me, is so colour-blind that they have to hide the red sealing-wax when they are in mourning for fear of his using it ; and he sees no difference between people's ordinary complexion and that which snap-dragon and salt gives them ! We walked about the garden. I finished Pusey, and feel perhaps more dismayed than ever at the terrible state of the Roman Church, and yet somehow more hopeful of reunion following upon its reformation : the loving-hearted, earnest, sanguine character of Dr. Pusey shines through the whole book, the more striking combined as it is with such theological learning and research —and it kindles one into hope.