Morning fine. To town with my Wife. To Medford to dine, with Mr. Frothingham who took my Wife’s place in my vehicle. Family dinner and Afternoon wasted.

I have no account of occupation to give beyond the ordinary dull routine of small commissions. The dinner embraced all the members of Mr. Brooks’ family with the exception of the youngest who is (poor fellow) gone to destruction beyond recovery.1 It is not often they all come together. It was pleasant and the party separated early.

I took a stroll after dinner with Dr. Frothingham and we got into conversation upon the motives of action in life and the anxiety for popular applause which influence us all more or less. In the course of it by a somewhat abrupt movement he intimated the possibility of my being solicited to go into public life and into Congress. What does this mean? I asked no questions, passed it off as a thing entirely improbable from my position, and not to be desired by me on my own account at all. This is one of his friendly feelings for which I have to be grateful. Many think better of me than I deserve and some worse. This is the way of the world. I wonder only in this case how the idea, considering my position to parties, could have originated. Evening quiet. Nothing of interest.

Day fine. To town with Mr. Brooks and return. Dine at Gorham Brooks’ and afternoon generally wasted in company.

My day has little of remark as I was entirely drawn away from books, and conversed unprofitably. I went to my house in consequence of the stories of housebreaking which have been generally circulated, and removed my coins and such silver as was most valuable, to Mrs. Frothingham’s.

Nobody but Mr. Brooks and ourselves dined with Gorham but he lives very pleasantly and very genteelly, perhaps rather too luxuriously for this country. He is labouring at improving his place at much expense. This is for amusement and occupation, yet I see the kernel of discontent at bottom which will spoil the whole. He will be pleased only while he is pursuing.

Allyne Otis came out in the afternoon on a visit. He is really as 107empty a puppy of thirty as I can well conceive.1 Evening Mrs. Angier called, and for want of other things I tried to extract from P. C. B. Jr. some commercial information which he gave fluently and intelligently.