I said: "Eh, did what?"

He said: "Did what? Why, destroyed my stick! It belonged to my
poor uncle, and I value it more than anything I have in the world!
I'll know who did it."

I said: "I'm very sorry. I dare say it will come off. I did it
for the best."

Gowing said: "Then all I can say is, it's a confounded liberty;
and I WOULD add, you're a bigger fool than you look, only THAT'S
absolutely impossible."

May 12.--Got a single copy of the Blackfriars Bi-weekly News.
There was a short list of several names they had omitted; but the
stupid people had mentioned our names as "Mr. and Mrs. C. Porter."
Most annoying! Wrote again and I took particular care to write our
name in capital letters, POOTER, so that there should be no
possible mistake this time.

May 16.--Absolutely disgusted on opening the Blackfriars Bi-weekly
News of to-day, to find the following paragraph: "We have received
two letters from Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pewter, requesting us to
announce the important fact that they were at the Mansion House
Ball." I tore up the paper and threw it in the waste-paper basket.
My time is far too valuable to bother about such trifles.

May 21.--The last week or ten days terribly dull, Carrie being away
at Mrs. James's, at Sutton. Cummings also away. Gowing, I