I was to have occasional access, as also to the room with the sweeping and observing apparatus, remained in its former order, where I most days spent some hours in preparing work to go on with at my lodging." A chance memorandum shows how the leisure time was employed; thus—"At the ending of 1787, or beginning of 1788, began to make use of some of the proof-sheets of Wollaston's Catalogue along with Flamsteed's;" and again, "December 24th, 1797, received notice for printing the Index, which was not at all adapted for that purpose; but March 8th, 1798, the copy was completed, and taken to the Royal Society, and in the course of the summer the print was corrected." The following letter to the Astronomer Royal bears on this subject:—
MISS HERSCHEL TO REV. DR. MASKELYNE.
Slough, Sept. 1798.
I have for a long while past felt a desire of expressing my thanks to you for having interested yourself so kindly for the little production of my industry by being the promoter of the printing of the Index to Flamsteed's Observations. I thought the pains it had cost me were, and would be, sufficiently rewarded in the use it had already been, and might be in future, to my brother. But your having thought it worthy of the press has flattered my vanity not a little. You see, sir, I do own myself to be vain, because I would not wish to be singular; and was there ever a woman without vanity? or a man either? only with this difference, that among gentlemen the commodity is generally styled ambition.
