I rather unfortunately asked Mrs Gaskell
if she had not some little trouble at one
time with her Charlotte Bronte - she looked
confused, said “at first they did give me
much trouble, but dont talk of it now.”
Some one told me the other day she had
told abominable lies about members of
Mrs B’s family who had made her come
out openly in the papers & retract them.
Madame de Chatelain told me this.
This Sunday morning Feb 19th
Have been with Grace to Exeter Hall in
the Strand to hear Spurgeon - I had
read a volume of his sermons with some
pleasure but had heard descriptions &
seen portraits of the man that had not
inclined me much towards him.
From 9 ½ to 10 ½ one pays a shilling for
entrance & securing a seat, after which
the doors are open to the public gratis
We were there among the first free
comers - & through the kindness of a very
worthy but leery looking individual
got seats almost in front of the speaker