Fine day. To Cambridge. Afternoon at home, coins. Evening Mr. Dexter’s.

I was up early to be off on the examination of one division of the Junior class in Cambridge University. The arrangement has been much altered, and now imposes upon the Committee much heavier burdens.1 A Carriage called for me which contained Mr. Forbes and Mr. Hillard, and at Cambridge, we found T. K. Davis had come in another carriage with the Latin Committee. Was this accident or a desire to escape me? I neither know nor care which. He seated himself at dinner at the other end of the table which also betrays very much the nature of his feelings. In other respects however there was no difference in his manner, and we were all as pleasant as usual, with due regard to distance.

The examination was an indifferent one. The class is the same with which I first entered into the examinations and does not appear to me to have gone a step forward since the close of the Freshman year. The Professor himself appears to me to be a good scholar but not an effective teacher. We returned to town immediately after dinner, having as a fourth Professor Longfellow in the carriage. Continued coins as usual.

Evening, attended a circle of ladies who form a charitable gossip society and meet at each other’s houses at stated periods. This was by invitation of Miss Catherine Dexter at her brother’s, George M. Dexter’s. A great number of ladies and very few gentlemen. However I got along pretty well, home early.