Finished my beloved “Sir Samuel Romilly.”  It is a book that
    everybody, especially men, should immediately read and meditate
    upon.

It was during the summer of this year, 1840, that she began to see more of Lord John Russell.  She had met him a good many times at “rather solemn dinner-parties,” and he had stayed at Minto.  She had known him well enough to feel distress and the greatest sympathy for him when his wife died, leaving him with two young families to look after—­six children in all, varying in age from the eldest Lister girl, who was fourteen, to Victoria, his own little daughter, whose birth in 1838 was followed in little more than a week by the death of her mother.  Lord John was nearly forty-eight.  Hitherto he had been a political hero in her eyes rather than a friend of her own; but, as the following entries in her diary show, she began now to realize him from another side.

    June 3, 1840, PUTNEY HOUSE

    Lord John Russell and Miss Lister [16] came to spend the afternoon
    and dine.  All the little Listers came.  All very merry.  Lord John
    played with us and the children at trap-ball, shooting, etc.

[16] Miss Harriet Lister was the sister of Lord John’s first wife.

The next time they met was at the Admiralty:  “Little unexpected Cabinet meeting after dinner.  Lords John Russell and Palmerston, who talked War with France till bedtime.  I hope papa tells the truth as to its improbability.”  Two days later she writes:  “Lord John Russell again surprised us by coming in to tea.  How much I like him.”  The next evening she dined at his house:  “Sat between Lord John and Mr. E. Villiers.  Utterly and for ever disgraced myself.  Lord John begged me to drink a glass of wine, and I asked for champagne when there was none!”

On August 13th they left London for Minto: 

We had two places to spare in the carriage, which were taken by Lord John Russell and little Tom [his stepson, Lord Ribblesdale].  We had wished it might be so, though I had some fears of his being tired of us, and of our being stupefied with shyness.  This went off more than I expected, and our day’s journey was very pleasant.

    MINTO, August 14, 1840

Actually here on the second day!  From Hawick we had the most lovely moonlight, making the river like silver and the fields like snow.  Oh Scotland, bonny, bonny Scotland, dearest and loveliest of lands! if ever I love thee less than I do now, may I be punished by living far from thee.

    MINTO, August 30, 1840