Describes gossip heard from a governess living in his boarding house about William Makepeace Thackeray. Transcription: her sex, she is ?ǣposted up ? as to literary matters and men. This evening she volunteered a lot of cackle about [William Makepeace] Thackeray being fond of a fast girl here ? a Miss Sally Baxter or some such name, ? of his writing letters to her, giving her $100 shawls &c, professing to have heard of the correspondence from the ?ǣlady s own lips. The thing might have had some foundation in innocent truth, might have been pure invention, it was just that loose sort of sto
Describes gossip heard from a governess living in his boarding house about William Makepeace Thackeray. Transcription: her sex, she is ?ǣposted up ? as to literary matters and men. This evening she volunteered a lot of cackle about [William Makepeace] Thackeray being fond of a fast girl here ? a Miss Sally Baxter or some such name, ? of his writing letters to her, giving her $100 shawls &c, professing to have heard of the correspondence from the ?ǣlady s own lips. The thing might have had some foundation in innocent truth, might have been pure invention, it was just that loose sort of story which gossips invent and fools believe. Governess dropped a good illustration of how the desire to seem knowing above others will tempt weak natures to lying ? saying that one of her own sex ? ?ǣa lady, ? of course ? had informed her she was personally cognizant of the truth of that infamous slander which once made Charlotte Bronte the mistress of Thackeray. It ?s women who invent and believe these things for the most part. ?ǣWe know what men are! ? quoth governess. They say she has an unhappy idea that people are disposed to look down upon her, in consequence of her position. I dare say it ?s not too pleasant a one. Nothing is more calculated to make a person irritable and perhaps selfish than the feeling that nobody cares for you. 4. Wednesday. Very sick and weak ? headache, diarrhea and laudanum. Phonography for a couple of hours. Down town in the afternoon. To F. Leslie ?s, Pic Office &c. Met F. Leslie returning and walked a block or so with him. Met [Mortimer] Thomson & Ottarson subsequently. Evening to bed, being ill & in pain. 5. Thursday. Sick, still. Out in the afternoon. Title: Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries: Volume 9, page 174, August 3-5, 1858 . 3 August 1858. Gunn, Thomas Butler, 1826-1903
Size: 1817px × 2751px
Photo credit: © The Picture Art Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords:
