Although finally arrived to settle down for the Winter in uninterrupted quiet I hope, yet my first sensations are very far from those of being at home. I found myself in a house not my own, in a quarter of the town in which I had never lived before and without any arrangements yet made for my convenience. I cannot say that I relished entirely the change from my own house, in which I certainly have been managing to collect more comforts than I was myself aware of. But for this winter the die is cast (at least). I must endeavor to console myself by the reflections that I am relieved from family anxiety to a considerable degree, that I am of use to Mr. Brooks who feels his lonely situation very much, and that I am in a considerable degree benefitted in my pecuniary affairs. These are of course interesting to me more and more as I become sensible of my father’s total indifference to them. My children must not feel that through their Mother they derive all their claims to fortune. But I will not pursue this farther at present.

I attended divine service all day. Heard Mr. Frothingham in the morning and Mr. W. Ware1 in the Afternoon but I have had such an impulse given to all my thoughts by this Journey that I cannot directly settle down in my regular track. So I lost the Texts and was not able to fix my attention well upon the Subjects of the Sermons.

Not being provided with books or any thing I was not able to do any of my regular duties and so I dawdled away my time. I conversed with Abby who was anxious to know particulars respecting my Journey. In the evening Mr. Bradlee came in, a gentleman of good character in life but one whose external manners and even modes of thought, recommend him but little to my feelings.

I went to my Office this morning, thus beginning my usual routine of occupation. My business was the arranging my Accounts which took me the whole of my time. I drew off the charges for the Journey against my father and credited him with the surplus, and then went through the Items of my own Accounts which the transactions at Washington occasioned. These were few but rather puzzling especially to me who am upon my first attempt to make a set of books go by the 23system of double entry. I do not know that I gave myself time upon which to reflect properly. But after all this is no great affair, “Le Jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle.”

Returned home and spent the afternoon for the most part at the Athenaeum which is very near and which is the greatest convenience of a residence in this part of the City. I procured there a couple of books with which I could go on until my regular winter occupations commenced. These are Sir James Mackintosh’s fragment upon the Revolution of 1688, and a book of a Mr. Sedgwick upon education at the English University.1 The first of these works is edited by some unknown person who has prefixed to it an account of the life and writings of the Author. A violent party production doing no justice to the character of Mackintosh but curious from it’s tracing his earlier productions which in a perishable and anonymous form were brought before the public.

I need not say that in the course of my whole Journey I have never omitted reading my Chapter in the Bible with the Commentary.