Kind advice and active assistance appear in the proceedings of brother and sister. Money is transmitted by both; and as a small mark of delicate attention to the wants of a lady, he sallied forth himself in search of the most expensive tea and coffee to be found in London to forward to the same quarter.
During her absence (July) he made a journey to Cambridge, in pursuit of old books and papers—dined out four days in the week—was busied in daily researches from nine till four o’clock—is on the whole pretty well satisfied though certain papers evaded his vigilance—and means to visit Mr. Bindley to talk over his discoveries. Has had a dinner-party or two—dines with the Windhams; with Lord Cowper<!— Peter Leopold Louis Francis Nassau Clavering-Cowper, 5th Earl Cowper -->, though unwell; with Sir W. Scott; and from the former, “went in the evening with Mrs. Crewe to Holland House—a fine piece of antiquity in its way, but much in want of the expenditure of five or six thousand pounds to make it a really handsome antique.”
In August he writes again, but with an eye to business. Thanks “Kate” for a promised letter of Congreve, and desires her to ask Lady Clark for copies of others in possession of the Duchess of Buccleugh. “They will add to my literary stores, and I may extract some good out of them.”
“Yesterday,” he adds—and even in the anecdote we see Shakspeare and the drama prominent in thought, while that of Mr. Windham is no less strongly characteristic—“I dined with the Windhams at Mr. Woodford’s, at Vauxhall. There was a rowing-match on the Thames for a prize left by
