12 January 1826

Taught Will Sykes écarté before school and won fourpence; then played Percy Muzzle after school and won again! Sykes was most put out and called me ‘the d—est of all d—d lucky dogs’! He can be awfully foul-mouthed. I rather blame his parents. His mother, although very kindly, is a laundress, and his father a night cabman; and so he has no model of decent behaviour. I have it on good authority that Ballast only admitted him to the Academy because Mrs S. washes the porters’ stockings gratis.

(Now have enough saved in my pig for THE GREAT ARTICLE and will purchase it on Saturday!)

Papa came home with ginger-snaps for all the children and walnut cake for Mama. He is quite excited about his pension but Mama poured cold water on the whole business. She said that she was quite sure that he expected to be made Lord of the High Seas. That, she said, was our father all over. She remarked that it was more likely that we would have to move on yet again, to some awful outpost of empire, populated by brutal and ignorant savages, like Plymouth.