“Mr. Adams is a merry little man, loves games with children, and is a favorite with young ladies.

“At 6.30 we went again to the lodge to dine.  We were a little late, and the servant was in a great hurry to announce us; but I made him wait until my gloves were on, though not buttoned.  He announced us with a loud voice, and Dr. Whewell came forward to receive us.  Being announced in this way, the other guests do not wait for an introduction.  There was a group of guests in the drawing-room, and those nearest me spoke to me at once.

“Dinner was announced immediately, and Dr. Whewell escorted me downstairs, across an immense hall, to the dining-room, outside of which stood the waiters, six in number, arranged in a straight line, in livery, of course.  One of them had a scarlet vest, short clothes, and drab coat.

“As I sat next to the master, I had a good deal of talk with him.  He was very severe upon Americans; he said that Emerson did not write good English, and copied Carlyle!  I thought his severity reached really to discourtesy, and I think he perceived it when he asked me if I knew Emerson personally, and I replied that I did, and that I valued my acquaintance with him highly.

“I got a little chance to retort, by telling him that we had outgrown Mrs. Hemans in America, and that we now read Mrs. Browning more.  He laughed at it, and said that Mrs. Browning’s poetry was so coarse that he could not tolerate it, and he was amused to hear that any people had got above Mrs. Hemans; and he asked me if we had outgrown Homer!  To which I replied that they were not similar cases.

“Altogether, there was a tone of satire in Dr. Whewell’s remarks which I did not think amiable.

“There were, as there are very commonly in English society, some dresses too low for my taste; and the wine-drinking was universal, so that I had to make a special point of getting a glass of water, and was afraid I might drink all there was on the table!

“Before the dessert came on, saucers were placed before each guest, and a little rose-water dipped into them from a silver basin; then each guest washed his face thoroughly, dipping his napkin into the saucer.  Professor Willis, who sat next to me, told me that this was a custom peculiar to Cambridge, and dating from its earliest times.

“The finger bowls came on afterwards, as usual.

“It is customary for the lady of the house or the ‘first lady’ to turn to her nearest neighbor at the close of dinner and say, ’Shall we retire to the drawing-room?’ Now, there was no lady of the house, and I was in the position of first lady.  They might have sat there for a thousand years before I should have thought of it.  I drew on my gloves when the other ladies drew on theirs, and then we waited.  Mrs. Airy saw the dilemma, made the little speech, and the gentlemen escorted us to the door, and then returned to their wine.

“We went back to the drawing-room and had coffee; after coffee new guests began to come, and we went into the magnificent room with the oriel windows.