Friday 26th December 1834

Dearest returned from Lawton, arrived after 11 oclock at night, I in bed –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/35

[up at] 9 10/..
[to bed at] 1 25/..

had slept in my clothes π[Mariana] came before eight and leaned or lay on the bed till I got up  I dont think she found out that I was not undress[ed]   my night chemise hid all that   she seemed in good spirits said she had a very good night and hoped I had had one too   I said not much on this part of the subject   she saw that I did not think of last nights business quite as she did    I said let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall    she seemed rejoiced at the sort of victory she thought she had gained    and argued against my fancying there was any wrong in it    said it had done her good and she was now much happier    begged me not to abuse her in my heart    I said as little as possible not troubling myself to knock down her arguments but saying the only thing I had thought of as a consolation was    the telling her I should shew all my letters to A- [Adney] – she made no objection in fact she could not well make any    she was satisfied to have found as she thought that all her influence over me was not gone    she little dreampt the real state of the case she had fallen in my opinion    she had been too much in the style of Mrs. Milne    and I mean to be as little in her way as possible in time to come    she said she still could believe herself belonging to anyone but me    the night before last she had left me in an agony    quite wet thro’ and ill   last night she was calmer and could have done without it if I had not been  different    I said nothing against all this but let it pass    she said I did non /not/ know what it is was to be obliged to restraint where formerly she had only to ask and have    I merely said  I saw how she was on Wednesday night and was on my guard    last night I was off my guard and etc. etc. – Very fine, softish morning – just ready to go downstairs at 9 1/2 when had Martha Booth up into my dressing room to speak to her – not satisfied about her manner – Mariana came – then sent for Watson – a regular scene – the girl would excuse herself – then said she was not well – the place too hard for her – I thought she had better leave it – Watson advised her not – said she (the girl) must not shew her face at Shibden etc. etc. – went down to breakfast at 11 – Mr. Lawton had waited to wish me goodbye – never so attentive before – Mariana could get Martha what she wanted (a little cook’s place) at the reverend Mr. Wood’s of Middlewich – had Martha in again – she then promised better things – agreed for her to stay where she was – All this detained me terribly – off from Lawton at 11 50/.. – Mariana went with me to Middlewich (the phaeton to meet her for her return) to see the worm quack (Mrs. Lamb) – At Middlewich (10 miles) at 1 – 1 20/.. hour talking to Mrs. Lamb, as arrant a quack as any of her fraternity – looked at all her phials full of worms – tape and all sorts, and catechised her pretty severely   her secret is in the solvent mixture (a vegetable alkali) the carminative is merely composed of cordials – the powders are merely jalap, and the pills purgatives pro re natâ – asked if she thought I had worms – no! not a likely subject – mentioned the one I parted with at Hastings – well! said she, you may have had one and no more – she really behaved very fairly – I assured her, I would do her no harm – had catechised Mr. Long as much, and ended by saying I had no objection to Mariana’s trying her medicines (which Mariana told her was a great compliment) and said I should be lastingly obliged if she (Mrs. Lambe) did my friend any good – Told Mariana afterwards I thought the woman as much a quack as the rest of such people but she might try her medicines as I now hoped they would do her no harm, and might perhaps do good – she might try them, too, with Martha who is likely enough to have worms – and the woman has certainly caused many to be voided at Middlewich – Took a hurried leave of Mariana – left her in good hope and spirits – had talked much of her friend, and the boys as we came along – and how they might study at Göttingen – would turn to my journal of the time and see if I could find any useful hint there – Off from Middlewich at 2 21/.. – At Altrincham at 4 1/2 – long in getting horses – obliged to take forward the Middlewich postboy who was a stranger in Manchester and having stopt twice from Middlewich and twice from Altrincham sat less steadily at last than at 1st – glad to reach Manchester at 5 59/.. – Off again at 6 9/.. at Rochdale at 7 48/.. – took 4 horses – off again at 8 and at Shibden at 10 55/.. – all gone to bed but Cordingley – and John, expecting me, had come down – Adney jumped up – and came to me in her dressing gown and cloak, delighted to see me back again – had given me up in despair – had tea – the 1st thing we did was to laugh aloud at her droll figure and the bustle I had made – explained   sat talking told her I myself was astonished how little I had thought of π [Mariana] either going or returning   very glad to be back again   mentioned how I had offered her the use of Shibden in the event of δ’s [Charles’s] death etc. etc. found waiting my arrival (came yesterday) a very kind letter 2 1/2 pages from Mrs. Norcliffe (Langton) giving a very indifferent account of herself  – ‘I am quite grieved that you could for a moment doubt my friendship – I do not make many friends but when once I do, I am no changeling, but I can in some measure account for it – From mistake in dates, when I reached London I was told that you had been in town some time, this I knew you could not be, as when I past thro’ York I heard of your having been there only a day or 2 before and the fact was you reached London the very day we did and to seek a person in London is an endless task without a clue, as I found when seeking you so you must allow for others. I knew you were in town – you must however allow for poor Charlotte who was in low spirits and then she always sees things in the most disagreeable light – It is not strange you should not know when I was in town as no one knew till my arrival in town where I was to be, I meant to have been in Cavendish square but they had no room – if they asked there, they could not have told without the master of the house was at home for my nephew Charles asked there on the Saturday and they did not know so pray think no more about it’ – I am glad of this – it would have grieved me to have had any nonsense with Mrs. Norcliffe for whom I really feel much gratitude and regard – 

vide page 249 on mentioning to Mrs. Lambe the astringency of my bowels   parting only with little buttons she recommended the following
2 ounces flowers of sulphur, 2 ounces Glaubers salts 1/4 ounce saltpetre        1 ounce Seville orange peel or gentian root
add to the above, gradually, two quarts of boiling water – then let it stand in an open vessel (covered over) or in any bottle large enough to hold the whole of the ingredients,  – at least 12 hours – but better to stand a week or a fortnight – take of this mixture a teacupful once or twice a day as may be required – Mariana’s medicines (2 pint bottles pills and powders) and advice had cost 20/. and the medicine for each servant 12/. so I gave the woman 10/. with which she seemed much pleased –

[In margin:]
vide line 2 et sequentes page 251

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0130 & SH:7/ML/E/17/0131