;
for I am perpetually undergoing the process of feeling miserable and
lonely in a new place, and more miserable and lonely still when I leave
it. The room I have here is gloomy, but opens into my bedroom, which is
comfortable, and I shall soon attain the easy liking of habit for it.

Mrs. ----, dear Harriet, is without tact, and learns nothing, which is
one reason why, in spite of her many good qualities and accomplishments,
I cannot get on with her. I breakfasted with her on Sunday morning, and
she abused A---- to me--not violently, of course, but very foolishly.
She is wanting in perception, and is perpetually committing sins of bad
taste, which provoke people--and me "much more than reason." I do not
suppose I shall see enough of her to admit of her "drying me up" (as the
Italians say for boring), but I always find it difficult to get on with
her, even for a short time.

There is an element of _ungenuineness_ about her, I believe quite
involuntary; ... and it does not so much consist in telling stories,
though I believe she would do that on proper occasions, like everybody
else (but you, who never would know which were proper occasions), as in
a crooked or indirect moral vision, an incapacity for distinguishing
what is straight from what is not, which affects me very unpleasantly.

On Saturday evening I went to Drury Lane, with Henry and Charles
Greville, the latter having invited himself to join us. I spent a rather
dolorous three hours hearing indifferent music, indifferently sung, and
admiring compassionately the mental condition of such a man as my friend
Henry, who must needs divert himself with such an entertainment, having,
moreover, taste enough to know what is really good, and yet persuading
himself that this was not bad, only because to him anything is better
than spending an evening quietly alone at home.... On the other hand,
several things struck me a good deal. The music of the opera was poor,
but it was not worse than much of Donizetti's music, and it was composed
by an Englishman. It was put together with considerable skill and
cleverness, but was far less agreeable than the poorest Italian music of
the same order; and it was well executed, by a good orchestra, chiefly
composed of English musicians. The principal singers were all English,
and some of them had fine voices, and though they seldom used them well,
they did so occasionally; and, upon the whole, did not sing much worse
than Italian perfo