"Mr. Palgrave and I spent a delightful evening together yesterday; we talked till midnight. I found him a pleasant companion. We had some music; Mrs. Palgrave plays well. He has a nice collection of Greek vases, which would delight Mariller. [A figure-painter who lived at Autun, and who drew the figures for the 'Unknown River.']
"The more I reflect on matters, the more I rejoice to live far away from here. Known as I am now, I am sure that if I lived in or near London I should be exposed to frequent interruptions, and gradually our dear little private life would be taken away from us both. Besides, this continued excitement would kill me, I could never stand it; I really need quiet, and I get it at Pré-Charmoy. Just now I bear up pretty well, but I know I could not stand this for three months—out every evening, working or seeing people, or going in omnibuses. And then I need the great refreshment of being able to talk to thee, and to hear thee talk, and play with the children a little; all that is good for me,—in fact, I live upon it. I want to be back again. My breakfast in the morning is a difficulty; as you know, I never can eat an English one, and if I don't I am not fit for much fatigue. The distances, too, are terrible. Still, on the whole, I keep better than I expected to do. I hope the dear little boys are both quite well, and my little daughter, who is the apple of my eye."
About the difficulty of eating an English breakfast, it must be explained that since Gilbert had begun to suffer from nervousness he had given up coffee and tea; besides, he only liked a very light breakfast, and we had tried different kinds of food for the morning meal: chocolate he could not digest, although it was to his taste; cocoa he did not care for; beer and dry biscuits succeeded for a time, but at last we discovered that soup was the best breakfast for him, vegetable soup (soupe maigre) especially, because it must not be too rich. At home I always made his soup myself, for, being always the same—by his own choice—he was particular about the flavor; it was merely onion-soup with either cream and parsley, or onion-soup with Liebig and chervil. In the great summer heat he took instead of it cold milk and brown bread. It may be easily surmised that such a frugal meal could not last him far into the day, particularly as he was a very early riser, and often had his bowl of soup at six in the morning; then, when he felt hungry again—at ten generally—he drank a glass of beer and ate a slice of home-made brioche, which allowed him to await the twelve o'clock déjeuner à la fourchette.
The following passage is extracted from a letter written a few days after those already given:—
"J'ai dîné chez Woolner hier. Quel brave garçon! Ses manières avec moi sont tout-à-fait affectueuses, et je me sens avec lui sur le pied de la plus parfaite intimité. Il n'y a pas un homme a Londres qui possède un cercle d'amis comme le sien: tout ce qu'il y a de plus distingué en tout. Palgrave dit que Woolner fait un choix sérieux dans ses amitiés. Sa femme est jolie, délicate, gracieuse, intelligente; elle me fait l'effet d'un lys.
"J'ai reçu la visite de Haden hier, il m'a plus enseigné relativement à l'eau-forte en une demi-heure de conversation que dix ans de pratique ne l'auraient fait. Voici mes engagements:—
"Samedi, dîner chez Leslie.
Dimanche, tantôt chez Lewes.
Lundi, dîner chez Pearce.
Mardi, " " Mackay.
Mercredi, " " Shaw.
Jeudi, " " Woolner.
Vendredi, toute la journée avec Woodward.
Samedi, soirée chez Marks.
Lundi, dîner chez Haden.
Mardi, " " Constable fils:
"et il n'y a pas de raison pour que cela s'arrête, excepté mon depart pour West Lodge qui sera, je crois, pour mercredi."
However, he had to postpone his departure on account of a distressing and alarming disturbance of his nervous system. Mr. Haden recommended him to give up all kind of work immediately, which he did, and for a few days he only wrote short notes.
"NORTHUMBERLAND STREET. Wednesday Morning.