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21 April 1881 — 3 Savile Row | |
Thursday. 21st April [1881]. Wrote & did accounts &c. After lunch Henry & I drove out together. We went to call on his aunt Mrs Austen and saw her up in her bedroom– She was evidently in her nightgown & dressing gown. She knew us very well & seemed much better than when we saw her last year– She could not quite remember who it was that she knew, was dead– She asked once or twice for the paper & shewed us the paragraph abt the death of Ld B. saying “He was a great friend of mine. I feel his loss. He married a young wife a year ago & she is now out of her mind! I wrote him a note a day or two ago telling him to try & keep up & I would go & see him.” She evidently had confused 2 or 3 people together. She was much distressed at the illness of her companion Mrs Hill– On leaving Mrs Austen I went up to see Mrs Hill. She seemed very ill—but quite conscious. She talked of Mrs Austen & said that tho’ much better her memory was in a shaky state. I asked Mrs Hill if she thought Mrs Austen felt Dizzy’s death—she said no—not much– Nothing hurts her much now– She often confuses so much that she says Gladstone is her great friend. We went on to the British Museum & met there Mr Franks, Mr Fergusson & Mr Newton & we went to Mr Birch’s room & then went thro’ the building rapidly with Mr Newton. Went for a moment to Q. Anne St to see Blanche’s children. Found Onie in disgrace in bed having bitten Irene’s hand– I got her out of the scrape & made peace & went home. Alice Du Cane came up to tea & dined & slept. Richard came up & dined with us and also we had to dinner Mr Newton, Arthur & a friend of his Col. Gould, Henry’s brother Frederic & Florence his daughter so we were a nice little party of 9. I played the piano & sang a little. | |
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