Thursday 29th December

Mama was still in a great sulk with Papa at breakfast and said that we must all go to church together on Sunday, as Pa ought to think less about the Goddess Fortuna – like a HEATHEN – and more about OUR LORD. Papa v. penitent and left the house only to come back with a large slice of walnut cake, and half a pint of ginger ale. This softened her up a good deal. For my own part, I have a modest horror of walnuts, ever since Percy Muzzle choked on one at school and Dr Ballast had to suspend him upside down from the rafters to encourage him to spit it out. Sykes said it was like watching a hanging in reverse.

In the evening, around 6 o’clock, there was a great commotion. An enormous pantechnicon, pulled by two great black drays, appeared opposite our house. The waggon was loaded up with an immense pyramid of furniture (good solid articles of furniture, too, much superior to our own!). Mama immediately took counsel with her particular friend, Mrs Fitzharris, who keeps a lodging-house in Royal College Street. Mrs F. is an enormous gossip and already knew a good deal about it, ‘having heard from a cousin of the wife of the house agent, who lodges with the potman at the Stray Cat and Mutton.’ In short, No. 13 has been taken by a ‘very respectable old lady of considerable means.’ Mama is naturally determined to make acquaintance with this female Midas, and hatching all sorts of ingenious schemes to ‘form a congenial introduction.’ I said the old lady cannot be so respectable if she has taken a house in Johnson Street, and Papa winced and walked out of the room. Mama said that I must remember that, whatever his faults, Papa is a man of great and profound sentiment.

Poor old Pa.

10 o’clock p.m.

I was readying myself for bed when Fanny came to tell me that she had just seen the old woman at No.13, peering out of the window with a face like death. I told her that this was a cruel reproach to an elderly personage and how would she like it if I said, for example, she had a face like a squashed plum.

I do wish Fanny would not hit me quite so hard. My arm still aches.