Heavy rain from the South in the morning which ceased and by degrees it cleared away. I attended divine service in the morning and heard Mr. Frothingham from Revelation 2. 17. “To him that overcometh will I give a white stone and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” A sermon that did not strike me as new although I could recall little of it, nor withstanding its delicate application did I fix my attention today.

Immediately after service I started alone to go to Quincy according to promise and with the view of keeping up the courage of my Mother against the present rather unfavorable appearances. I got there to dinner and passed the afternoon with her. The clouds grew thin but they did not decidedly break until evening. They were all ready to start and I confess I now began to feel anxious that they should be gone. Home at five. Found at the house some children of Mr. Frothingham’s. Continued my work on arrears.

The day was clear but a high wind. The remarkable part of this season appears to me to have been almost constant gales. Almost from any point of the compass it seems as if there could be no calm. This may account for the little of heat we have experienced.

I went down to the Office and was occupied there until near noon when I returned to take my children and niece Mary Louisa down to the depot of the railroad where I found my Mother and the rest of the family had already arrived. She looked fatigued. They went off in good style and will I hope have a fortunate passage.

I returned home and from thence to the Office. My time must now begin to be distributed. I commenced reading the fifth and sixth books of Herodotus today before dinner, and amused myself after it with the first volume of the Secret correspondence of the reign of Louis 15 and 16 in France, quite an interesting work.1 In the evening as yet we have nothing to do, but I devoted an hour afterwards to filling up Arrears of Diary.

Morning cloudy with occasional showers of rain. I went to the Office and sat down very resolutely to making up the accounts with my 341father which have been in arrear for so long. This I adhered to pretty steadily and brought them down pretty well until interrupted by Mr. Ayer who came with his last bill. I settled with him entirely for his work upon my house and paid over the balance thus relieving my mind of a considerable burden which has been hanging upon it. My desire is to get rid of all my liabilities for that estate and to come down again to a solid basis.

I find my Quincy house will have cost me about $8000 dollars or about double my estimate. This of course is an unexpected and disagreeable surprise but the only way is to meet it and then begin again afresh.

Home to read Herodotus whose text I find a little more difficult than I thought. Afternoon as usual. The secret correspondence is extremely amusing. After which, arrears of Diary.