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17 June 1880 — Langham House, Portland Place | |
Thursday. 17th June [1880]. I was very tired so I stayed in bed till lunch time. Mrs Burr came & sat with me while I was dressing—she being up in town for a week. At ¼ 2 I went to the Somers & met Henry there to lunch. There were 2 or 3 people present so we did not have much talk. We began a little chat with Lady S. wh was interrupted by a visitor & we had to go off to see Mrs Austen, Henry’s aunt. We found her much aged—unable to rise to meet us– She looked the same in the face but she had lost her memory– The maid Mrs Hill had to remain in the room & help her out. She knew us at first & joked with Henry, when suddenly she turned to me & said “I miss him very much—he used to come in to tea with me every eveng with his papers under his arm on his way from Lincoln’s Inn.” Mrs Hill said that she was taking us for the De Gexs. We rose to go & she insisted upon rising & had to be lifted by Henry & Mrs Hill. When Henry kissed her & said goodbye—she turned to me & said “Do you allow that?” Mrs Hill wrote down—it is “Henry Layard.” A pained expression came over her & she said “Have I made a mistake? What a stupid old woman!” But she never grasped the truth & relapsed into the idea we were the De Gexs. She insisted on toddling between Henry & Mrs Hill to the top of the stairs. There she turned & pointing to Henrys bit of Nineveh & said “We dug up that at Herculaneum” & on Henry’s kissing her again she said again to me “Do you allow that.” She said in the course of the conversation that it was cold & (she had a fire) evidently believed it was still winter. Mrs Hill said she had not been out since Octr & hardly saw any one—in fact it was only dragging out an existence. Mrs H. seemed very attentive & spoke very nicely of her– We went home & had tea & rested. We went to dine with the Rates. I was taken to dinner by Mr Gibbs a rich man with only one hand, who has a fine house in Regent’s Park. He was very agreeable– I sat on Mr Rates left. Met Connie & Charlie Eliot there—also the Arthur Russells—Ld Houghton & his daughter, Mr Stewart, Mrs Buxton &c. We stayed till every one was gone & had a little chat. | |
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