23rd.  Put on my mourning.  Made visits to Sir W. Pen and Batten.  Then to Westminster, and at the Hall staid talking with Mrs. Michell a good while, and in the afternoon, finding myself unfit for business, I went to the Theatre, and saw “Brenoralt,” I never saw before.  It seemed a good play, but ill acted; only I sat before Mrs. Palmer, the King’s mistress, and filled my eyes with her, which much pleased me.  Then to my father’s, where by my desire I met my uncle Thomas, and discoursed of my uncle’s will to him, and did satisfy [him] as well as I could.  So to my uncle Wight’s, but found him out of doors, but my aunt I saw and staid a while, and so home and to bed.  Troubled to hear how proud and idle Pall is grown, that I am resolved not to keep her.

24th.  This morning my wife in bed tells me of our being robbed of our silver tankard, which vexed me all day for the negligence of my people to leave the door open.  My wife and I by water to Whitehall, where I left her to her business and I to my cozen Thomas Pepys, and discoursed with him at large about our business of my uncle’s will.  He can give us no light at all into his estate, but upon the whole tells me that he do believe that he has left but little money, though something more than we have found, which is about L500.  Here came Sir G. Lane by chance, seeing a bill upon the door to hire the house, with whom my coz and I walked all up and down, and indeed it is a very pretty place, and he do intend to leave the agreement for the House, which is L400 fine, and L46 rent a year to me between them.  Then to the Wardrobe, but come too late, and so dined with the servants.  And then to my Lady, who do shew my wife and me the greatest favour in the world, in which I take great content.  Home by water and to the office all the afternoon, which is a great pleasure to me again, to talk with persons of quality and to be in command, and I give it out among them that the estate left me is L200 a year in land, besides moneys, because I would put an esteem upon myself.  At night home and to bed after I had set down my journals ever since my going from London this journey to this house.  This afternoon I hear that my man Will hath lost his clock with my tankard, at which I am very glad.

25th.  This morning came my box of papers from Brampton of all my uncle’s papers, which will now set me at work enough.  At noon I went to the Exchange, where I met my uncle Wight, and found him so discontented about my father (whether that he takes it ill that he has not been acquainted with things, or whether he takes it ill that he has nothing left him, I cannot tell), for which I am much troubled, and so staid not long to talk with him.  Thence to my mother’s, where I found my wife and my aunt Bell and Mrs. Ramsey, and great store of tattle there was between the old women and my mother, who thinks that there is, God knows what fallen to her, which makes me mad, but it was not a proper time to speak to her of it, and so I went away with Mr. Moore, and he and I to the Theatre, and saw “The Jovial Crew,” the first time I saw it, and indeed it is as merry and the most innocent play that ever I saw, and well performed.  From thence home, and wrote to my father and so to bed.  Full of thoughts to think of the trouble that we shall go through before we come to see what will remain to us of all our expectations.