Tuesday, November 03, 2009

25Mar1868, Dizzy's Party for the Shaky Liberals

LONDON, March 25th, 1868.
Dizzy gives a grand party tonight for the Prince and Princess ; is said to ask only such Liberals as are shaky ! N.B. We are not asked.

19Mar1868, A Wonderful Set of Frumps

LONDON, March 19th, 1868.
—We dined with the Carews, meeting a wonderful set of frumps, but it wasn't very bad.

18Mar1868, A Workhouse and a Drum

LONDON, March 18th, 1868.
—We went to the East "by sea," as Atie. P. calls it, viz., embarking at Hungerford and landing at the Tunnel ; then conducted to the workhouse by a dirty little boy who was enchanted with a bit of bread and butter out of my basket in payment. . . . Dined at the Gladstones' ; drum, to which came Lord Dizzy !—he will be that next, I suppose. It was a sight to see him chaffing Agnes !

17Mar1868, Auntie P's Orphanage

LONDON, March 17th, 1868.
—Yesterday at the L. House meeting, a little statement drawn up by Caroline Smith and me about Auntie P.'s orphanage was read : I had hardly realised before what a gallant good work it was. She took over 150 poor tinies straight to her arms ; all orphans and many weak after cholera themselves ; all friendless and without even clothes on their poor little bodies. Of these not one has died at the Home, which she got in a hurry for them at Clapton ; and she has provided for a great many in different ways ; but 57 remain on her hands.

08Mar1868, Lou's Baby

LONDON, March 8th, 1868.
—Lou was promoted to a sofa, and was "at home" to F. and me. The baby came in to see her while we were there, and it gave me a tiny pang of envy to see its darling little head cuddled up to her ; however, it shortly flew into a rage and dissipated sentiment.

06Mar1868, A Most Powerful Sermon

LONDON, March 6th, 1868.
—Service at St. James's : the Dean of Westminster preached a most powerful sermon on "Eli, eli, lama sabachthani ?" speaking as if from his very heart of the darkness and perplexities of life, and how we should be sustained in them by the knowledge that our Saviour went through that awful moment of apparent desertion. He ended by appealing to one to abide patiently, sure of peace and light in the end, as our Lord in His next utterance confided His Spirit to His Father, though an instant before He had felt Himself forsaken. It made me cry, partly from the intense way I knew the pain the great perplexities give one, partly from feeling how he spoke from his own experiences, which must be, alas those of a man of faint and doubtful faith ; but at the same time, of strong love.

05Mar1868, Helping a Girl in a Fit

LONDON, March 5th, 1868.
—Saw a poor miserable girl lying quite rigid on her back in a fit in a smart part of Belgravia ; if we had not come up, I suppose she would be there now, everybody "passing by on the other side" like priests and Levites ! We sent for a policeman, who brought her round, and after a time she was well enough to walk feebly away, refusing to go in a cab : only lately out of an infirmary.