Tuesday, 2 March 1875

The cold woke me, and despite the hard mattresses and dubious sheets I had great difficulty getting up.
Pelikan writes to us to announce the marriage of his daughter to a junior naval officer of the steamship Prince Pojarski, a man named Cross. A fine match indeed! At the announcement of this marriage everyone fell to talking about marriages in general — Dina's and mine. And Maman ended with what she had wanted to begin with — her eternal Miloradovitch! I listened with a smile and Walitsky clowned about as usual.
I venture neither out of my dressing gown — which is long and gives me an air of distinction, being made in the old fashion, the bodice short, so short that it comes to the middle of my figure, ending just beneath the two charming globes, perky and firmly set, as Sablé says