Tuesday 12 June 1838
Fine morning the carriage ordered at 9 1/2 to go to Versailles - breakfast at 9 1/2
Fahrenheit 66 at 10 1/2 a.m. at which hour - Ann and I and the 2 servants and our valet de Place, Lefevre, all off to Versailles about or very soon after stopt at the hotel des Reservoirs? Rue des Reservoirs - nice looking house - but on inquiry found it like the hotel de France more like a mere Restaurant and café - not a room to go into for a minute or 2 where could se reposer &c. on inquiry the answer was all the rooms were occupied
Obliged to set off and seek some place for Ann to sit down in - a pot de chambre not to be had hardly were a seat to be had for a moment till Ann standing still in the street declaring she could not walk any further, a woman let her have a chair till Lefevre and I looked about for some place near - a little chamber au troisieme at liberty - Ann had not la force physyque pour y monter - got the porter cross-legged at his taylor's work to dress and turn out that Ann might be there and lie down on the bed chez la concierge! She begged me to go and take the servants and see the palace and leave her lying down - only wanted to be quiet - the servants waited in the street - what terrible work but she said it was monsieur that had come on so much she could not stir it was coming through everything I set off and in twenty minutes returned with a nice pair gray worsted stockings sewed together at the ends with an aune of riband and a little vial bottle of brandy and all was right and at 1 1/2 - Ann got on very well and was on her legs all the time, with a now minute or 2 sitting down
In the palace, till 4 when we were all turned out - many people of all ranks - the Jeanne d'Arc by the Princesse Mary decidedly the most interesting thing in the musée - we happened to enter the gallery at the end where this really beautiful statue is placed and stumbled upon it immediately - our valet de place quite innocent of knowing anything about it, nor did we take the trouble to enlighten him for the benefit of our successors - the palace as a musée does great credit to the tact and taste of Louis Philip - the effect is fine - but (vide Quarterly Review of . . . . no. ) some of the pictures have little value beyond that of covering the naked walls and are sad daubs I observed nothing intrinsically worth much but the galleries - the building magnificent with its gardens and parterres, - however formal at variance with nature
Resolved not to dine at Versailles Lefevre had not contrived to have the carriage in waiting for us, and we had to wait for it near 1/2 hour but luckily went into the porter's lodge near, and the people were very civil so gave 5 1/- and off from there at 4 25/60 and home at 6 25/60 - then almost immediately on leaving Versailles and had the carriage several times open and shut
Ordered dinner from Rosset's in passing on our return - dinner about 7 1/4 dessert in the drawing room making the following wrote and sent off by Lefevre (valet de place) at 9 3/4 the following note to "Madame la Comtesse de Bourke Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré no. 53". 'Ma chère madame de Bourke Si par votre bonté extrême pour moi vous avez fait demander à madame de Pourpris des renseignemens de la femme de chambre Rosalie, je vous prie de me faire part de la reponse de cette dame, et de m'aider de vos bons conseils - Je vous remercie mille fois d'avance, et je vous prie, madame, d'agréer le assurance de mon devouement A Lister Hotel de la Terrase Mardi soir' - very nice note in answer to say that Miss Gassie had been twice and could not find the lady at home - but Madame de Bourke had written to her - was expecting her answer and I should have it in the morning
Fine day till about 1 then rain and afterwards very showery afternoon and evening Fahrenheit 65 now at 11 25/60 p.m.
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