f bed. I hate
dreaming; it's like being mad--having one's brain work without the
control of one's will.

Dear A---- took the sacrament for the first time at the Swiss
church. On my return from church in the afternoon found Sir Ralph
and Lady Hamilton and Don Telesforo de Trueba. I like that young
Spaniard; he's a clever man. It was such fun his telling me all the
story of the Star of Seville, little imagining I had just
perpetrated a five-act tragedy on that identical subject.

_Tuesday, May 24th._--Drove down to Clint's studio to see Cecilia's
(Siddons's) portrait. It's a pretty picture of a "fine piece of a
woman," as the Italians say, but it has none of the very decided
character of her face....

_Wednesday, May 25th._--After dinner went over my part, dressed and
set off for Bridgewater House for our dressed rehearsal of
"Hernani." Found the stage in a state of _unfinish_, the house
topsy-turvy, and every body to the right and left. Sat for an hour
in the drawing-room while our very specially small and select
audience arrived. Then heard Lady Francis, Henry Greville, Mrs.
Bradshaw, and Mr. Mitford try their glee--one of Moore's melodies
arranged for four voices--which they sang at the top of their lungs
in order to hear themselves, while the carpenters and joiners
hammered might and main at the other end of the gallery finishing
the theater.

About nine they were getting under way, and we presently began the
rehearsal. The dresses were all admirable; they (not the clothes,
but the clothes pegs) were all horribly frightened. I was a little
nervous and rather sad, and I felt strange among all those foolish
lads, taking such immense delight in that which gives me so very
little, dressing themselves up and acting. To be sure, "nothing
pleaseth but rare accidents." Mr. M----, our prompter, thought fit
by way of prompting to keep up a rumbling bass accompaniment to our
speaking by reading every word of the play aloud, as the singers
are prompted at the opera house, which did not tend much to our
assistance. Everything went very smoothly till an unlucky young
"mountaineer" rushed on the stage and terrified me and Hernani half
to death by _in_articulating some horrible intelligence of the
utmost importance to us, which his fright rendered