Morning at the Office as usual. My occupations are not now decided enough and I must take early opportunity of fixing them. This was the day fixed for the sale of my brother’s books and I accordingly went down to Mr. Cunningham’s1 and attended. They were generally sold at a very great sacrifice, so that I stopped the sale of the most valuable of them. The remainder being worthless to me and more desirable to my brother’s affairs in the shape of a little money, I suffered them to go, although there was not a single volume that did not go below it’s value. This passed much of my morning, but on returning to my Office, I again felt the necessity of doing something. My brother’s Journal again fell in my way and I was struck with the superiority of 19his general pursuits, to those which I have fallen into during the last three months. This must be amended.

After dinner as Abby went out, I passed the Afternoon in my Study and made an attempt to arrange the remainder of my Books. Finding that they are so numerous, I have come to the conclusion to put them in double rows, which will thus accommodate them all until I feel able to make some arrangement at a future time, which may suit them more conveniently for reference. This took up most of the Afternoon. The remainder and the evening were passed in reading Devereux and Conversation with Abby. The book was dull and so we preferred talking.