Weather moderated, making one of the most delicious of our Autumn days. I rode into town for the purpose of making further arrangements in respect to my House. Found that it had not been opened yesterday. And I waited two hours without seeing a particle either of Chimney Sweep or Mason. The Woman came however, and I went down to effect the rest of the business relating to the Bank Shares &ca. My time is always so much taken up when I have no Office boy that I am always in a hurry.

Returned to Quincy. Miss Smith dined and spent the day. I had intended to employ the afternoon, but Mr. J. H. Foster and his daughter1 came in and I was disappointed for my father left me to bear the brunt of it. They returned to town before tea.

Evening wasted in the Parlour. Read Lingard afterwards and finished the reign of Edward the 5th, the gloomiest period of the whole British history. Began the second Volume of the Idler.