MAY 26. Left the shirts to be repaired at Trillip’s I said to him: ‘I’m ’ fraid they are frayed.’ He said, without a smile: ‘They’re bound to do that, sir.’ Some people seem to be quite destitute of a sense of humour.
JUNE 1. The last week has been like old times, Carrie being back, and Gowing and Cummings called every evening nearly. Twice we sat out in the garden quite late. This evening we were like a pack of children, and played ‘consequences’. It is a good game.
JUNE 2. ‘Consequences’ again this evening. Not quite so successful as last night; Gowing having several times overstepped the limits of good taste.
JUNE 4. In the evening Carrie and I went round to Mr and Mrs Cummings’ to spend a quiet evening with them. Gowing was there, also Mr Stillbrook. It was quiet but pleasant. Mrs Cummings sang five or six songs, ‘No, Sir’, and ‘The Garden of Sleep’,42 being best in my humble judgement; but what pleased me most was the duet she sang with Carrie – classical duet, too. I think it is called, ‘I would that my love!’ It was beautiful. If Carrie had been in better voice, I don’t think professionals could have sung it better. After supper we made them sing it again. I never liked Mr Stillbrook since the walk that Sunday to the ‘Cow and Hedge’, but I must say he sings comic-songs well. His song: ‘We don’t want the old men now’, made us shriek with laughter, especially the verse referring to Mr Gladstone;43 but there was one verse I think he might have omitted, and I said so, but Gowing thought it was the best of the lot.
JUNE 6. Trillip brought round the shirts and, to my disgust, his charge for repairing was more than I gave for them when new. I told him so, and he impertinently replied: ‘Well, they are better now than when they were new.’ I paid him, and said it was a robbery. He said: ‘If you wanted your shirt-fronts made out of pauper-linen, such as is used for packing and book-binding, why didn’t you say so?’
JUNE 7. A dreadful annoyance. Met Mr Franching, who lives at Peckham, and who is a great swell in his way. I ventured to ask him to come home to meat-tea, and take pot-luck. I did not think he would accept such a humble invitation; but he did, saying in a most friendly way, he would rather ‘peck’ with us than by himself. I said: ‘We had better get into this blue ‘bus.’ He replied: ‘No blue-bussing for me. I have had enough of the blues lately. I lost a cool “thou” over the Copper Scare. Step in here.’
We drove up home in style, in a hansom-cab, and I knocked three times at the front door without getting an answer. I saw Carrie, through the panels of ground-glass (with stars), rushing upstairs. I told Mr Franching to wait at the door while I went round to the side. There I saw the grocer’s boy actually picking off the paint on the door, which had formed into blisters. No time to reprove him; so went round and effected an entrance through the kitchen window. I let in Mr Franching, and showed him into the drawing-room. I went upstairs to Carrie, who was changing her dress, and told her I had persuaded Mr Franching to come home. She replied: ‘How can you do such a thing? You know it’s Sarah’s holiday, and there’s not a thing in the house, the cold mutton having turned with the hot weather.’
Eventually Carrie, like a good creature as she is, slipped down, washed up the teacups, and laid the cloth, and I gave Franching our views of Japan44 to look at while I ran round to the butcher’s to get three chops.
JULY 30. The miserable cold weather is either upsetting me or Carrie or both. We seem to break out into an argument about
Mr Franching, of Peckham
absolutely nothing, and this unpleasant state of things usually occurs at meal-times.
This morning, for some unaccountable reason, we were talking about balloons, and we were as merry as possible; but the conversation drifted into family matters, during which Carrie, without the slightest reason, referred in the most uncomplimentary manner to my poor father’s pecuniary trouble. I retorted by saying that ‘Pa, at all events, was a gentleman,’ whereupon Carrie burst out crying. I positively could not eat any breakfast.
At the office I was sent for by Mr Perkupp, who said he was very sorry, but I should have to take my annual holidays from next Saturday. Franching called at office and asked me to dine at his club,
The grocer’s boy was actually picking off the paint on the side door, which had formed into blisters
‘The Constitutional’. Fearing disagreeables at home after the ‘tiff’ this morning, I sent a telegram to Carrie, telling her I was going out to dine and she was not to sit up. Bought a little silver bangle for Carrie.
JULY 31. Carrie was very pleased with the bangle, which I left with an affectionate note on her dressing-table last night before going to bed. I told Carrie we should have to start for our holiday next Saturday. She replied quite happily that she did not mind, except that the weather was so bad, and she feared that Miss Jibbons would not be able to get her a seaside dress in time. I told Carrie that I thought the drab one with pink bows looked quite good enough; and Carrie said she should not think of wearing it. I was about to discuss the matter, when, remembering the argument yesterday, resolved to hold my tongue.
I said to Carrie: ‘I don’t think we can do better than “Good old Broadstairs”45.’ Carrie not only, to my astonishment, raised an objection to Broadstairs, for the first time, but begged me not to use the expression, ‘Good old’, but to leave it to Mr Stillbrook and other gentlemen of his type. Hearing my ’bus pass the window, I was obliged to rush out of the house without kissing Carrie as usual; and I shouted to her: ‘I leave it to you to decide.’ On returning in the evening, Carrie said she thought as the time was so short she had decided on Broadstairs, and had written to Mrs Beck, Harbour View Terrace, for apartments.
AUGUST 1. Ordered a new pair of trousers at Edwards’s, and told them not to cut them so loose over the boot; the last pair being so loose and also tight at the knee, looked like a sailor’s, and I heard Pitt, that objectionable youth at the office, call out ‘Hornpipe’ as I passed his desk. Carrie has ordered of Miss Jibbons a pink Garibaldi and blue-serge skirt, which I always think looks so pretty at the seaside. In the evening she trimmed herself a little sailor-hat, while I read to her the Exchange and Mart. We had a good laugh over my trying on the hat when she had finished it; Carrie saying it looked so funny with my beard, and how the people would have roared if I went on the stage like it.
AUGUST 2. Mrs Beck wrote to say we could have our usual rooms at Broadstairs. That’s off our mind. Bought a coloured shirt and a
Young Pitt called out ‘Hornpipe’ as I passed his desk
pair of tan-coloured boots, which I see many of the swell clerks wearing in the City, and hear are all the ‘go’.
AUGUST 3. A beautiful day. Looking forward to tomorrow. Carrie bought a parasol about five feet long.46 I told her it was ridiculous. She said: ‘Mrs James, of Sutton, has one twice as long’; so the matter dropped. I bought a capital hat for hot weather at the seaside. I don’t know what it is called, but it is the shape of the helmet worn in India, only made of straw. Got three new ties, two coloured handkerchiefs, and a pair of navy-blue socks at Pope Brothers. Spent the evening packing. Carrie told me not to forget to borrow Mr Higgsworth’s telescope, which he always lends me, knowing I know how to take care of it. Sent Sarah out for it. While everything was seeming so bright, the last post brought us a letter from Mrs Beck, saying: ‘I have let all my house to one party, and am sorry I must take back my words, and am sorry you must find other apartments; but Mrs Womming, next door, will be pleased to accommodate you, but she cannot take you before Monday, as her rooms are engaged Bank Holiday week.’
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