1862-64 DICKENS AT SHEEN LODGE 131 
Miss Dickens, Miss Hogarth, and Mr. and Mrs. 
John Forster over here to spend the day. 
‘ C. D. is not improved in appearance by the 
scanty beard he has now grown. I think his face 
is spoiled by it. He greatly admired the picture, 
the “ Monastery Interior” in our dining-room, and 
he and Mr. Forster were much interested at the 
story of it. Mr. F. is as cheerful as ever, and we 
were all very lively at dinner. Dickens told us 
some funny anecdotes about Frenchmen he had met 
abroad, and I told him an adventure which befell 
me when dining with M. and Madame Leverrier 
in Paris years ago — how M. Leverrier spilt a 
glass of champagne over my new dress just after 
having taken me in to dinner, and how I, having 
recovered from the first shock, was astonished by 
his suddenly dropping down on his knees, and 
frantically catching me round the petticoats till he 
had ascertained, breadth by breadth, that there 
Was no stain. The conclusion of this affecting 
O 
narrative brought us to the end of dinner, and we 
retired into the garden, where we wandered about 
till it was time for Dickens to go.’ 
'July 17. — A visit from Mr. Waterhouse, 
just returned from Pappenheim, where he has 
been in treaty for the collection of fossils, in which 
Js the curious fossil with the alleged feathered 
Vertebrate tail.^ The old German doctor is ob- 
stinate about his price, and Mr. W. has come 
^ The ArchcBOpteryx macrura^ a feather- winged vertebrate. 
K 2 
