Well, my love, Charles thought that as I had vowed I would never marry
into furnished lodgings, we had better wait until he had saved money
enough to furnish a house comfortably. I was sillier then than I am now,
and I thought his wanting to postpone our marriage didn't look much like
love, so I sulked. He was sillier then than he is now, and minded a
woman's sulks. He furnished a house completely from top to bottom, from
an advertising warehouse, and the whole bill came to 29_l._ 11_s._
3½_d._ We married and took possession. Here is my diary of the week,
love; I preserve it for any of my young friends who are in a hurry to
marry.
_Monday._—Charles, while shaving, rested his left hand heavily on the
dressing-table. It smashed under his hand, he cut himself severely, and
it was a mercy he didn't have his dear nose off. I flew to the drawers
for something to stop the bleeding, and the keys broke or the locks
wouldn't work, and we had to open the drawers with the shovel. The hay,
with which the easy chair was stuffed, smelt so disagreeably, that we
were obliged to send it out of the room, and, as Anne was carrying it,
the chair came in halves, the back and arms falling away from the seat.
_Tuesday._—The frame of the looking-glass gave way, the glass fell out,
and smashed the beautiful little French clock dear uncle Brooks gave us.
_Wednesday._—I had a headache, so Charles wheeled the sofa near the fire
for me. Doing so, two of the legs came off. He propped it up with books,
but by-and-bye I heard a sort of frizzling; it was the glue, which the
fire was frying. Hastily removing the sofa, we divided it between us;
Charles fell down with the end, and I got the back on my poor toes.
_Thursday._—The dining-room table suddenly parted in the middle. The
lamp fell on Charles's head (making him swear sadly), and I received a
lovely goose, and all the gravy, in the lap of my new satin dress. That
night the screws of the bed slipped in the rotten wood, and one side
gave way. We came to the floor: I was sadly bruised, and Charles hurt
his head, and used very strong language against the advertising
wretches.
_Friday._—One of the brackets of the curtain-rod broke, the curtains,
rings and all, came on mamma's head, crushing her new bonnet. Getting on
a footstool to dust a picture the stool broke, and I fell against the
picture, breaking the glass, and cutting my forehead. The pole of a
music desk came out of the stand, the candles fell and greased the
carpet (which was actually beginning to lose its colour already), and
the book smashed Charles's violoncello. N.B. Not so sorry about this
last.
_Saturday._—Moved into furnished lodgings, where we stayed until we
could afford to deal with a respectable upholsterer.