7 May.--It is again early morning, but I have rested and enjoyed the last twenty-four hours. I slept till late in the day, and awoke of my own accord. When I had dressed myself I went into the room where we had supped, and found a cold breakfast laid out, with coffee kept hot by the pot being placed on the hearth. There was a card on the table, on which was written

"I have to be absent for a while. Do not wait for me. D."

I set to and enjoyed a hearty meal. When I had done, I looked for a bell, so that I might let the servants know I had finished, but I could not find one. There are certainly odd deficiencies in the house, considering the extraordinary evidence of wealth which are round me. The table service is of gold, and so beautifully wrought that it must be of immense value. The curtains and upholstery of the chairs and sofas and the coverings of my bed are of the costliest and most beautiful fabrics, and must have been of fabulous value when they were made, for they are centuries old, though in excellent order. I saw something like them in Hampton Court, but those were worn and frayed and moth-eaten.

Vocabulary:

Of my own accord: When I wanted to
Hearth: The stone in front of a fireplace
Hearty: Here it means 'very good'
Deficiencies: Things which are wrong or not good enough
Wrought: Made
Upholstery: The soft covering on furniture
Frayed: The cloth starting to come apart
Moth-eaten: Moth caterpillars eat cloth