Made my fire - Letter from Miss Marsh (York) 3 pages and the ends - chit-chat - stood reading my letter - was then cleaning my teeth when (at 9 1/2 by the kitchen clock) Cordingley rapt at my door, and bad me go down directly - my uncle was laid on the floor - ran to his room - (my aunt almost in an hysteric of grief supported by Cordingley in the hall) - saw him fallen at the foot of his bed - he had evidently not hurt himself in the fall - the countenance calm, placid, and unruffled as if nothing had happened - the spark of life quite extinct, tho'
Cordingley had heard stirring in his room not 10 minutes before - getting up as usual - he had got his smalls and stockings on - nothing to be done - alas! it was too late - all was over - ran down to my aunt - did all I could to compose her - and she gradually became even better than I expected -
George out with the horse - Sent John Booth for Mr. Sunderland - he came as soon as possible - said there had been an aneurism of some great blood-vessel near the heart - it had burst, and death was instantaneous - nothing could have been done - he did not apprehend danger - had thought my uncle would rally again - had he his attendance to begin over again - he could do no more - he had the consolation to think he had omitted nothing - did not - could not forsee this - the pulse was so good - It was a case in which medicine could have done no good - there could have been no suffering at the last - it was a very large vessel that was ruptured - death occasioned instantaneously by the inward bleeding - I had noticed a swelling almost as big as my 2 fists on the pit of the stomach - and my poor uncle complained of a little pain - tightness and heaviness - here yesterday evening, and said he had it during the night before, but it had gone off - Asked Mr. Sunderland (thanked him for the brace of partridges he had sent my uncle yesterday) to call at Northgate, break the thing as well as he could to my father and Marian, and ask them to come immediately-
My aunt and I breakfasted - sent for Matty Pollard - she and the servants did the last offices to my poor uncle - my father and Marian arrived at 11 3/4 - we none of us spoke for some minutes - It was a melancholy meeting, but my father bore it more - much more calmly than I expected - Marian after a burst of tears at first, was also calm - both she and my father have wretched colds -
About one, the corpse was ready for us to see, and I took my father into the room - he lifted back the napkin for a moment - death was then stamped on the countenance - my father shed a tear or 2, and, after I had opened my poor uncle's drawer and taken out his will (he told us where it was a day or 2 ago) we came downstairs - After waiting a little while, I read aloud the will - no one uttered a word - as soon as I had done, I hastened up to my own room - wrote to the Editors of the Yorkshire Gazette York - Leeds Intelligencer Leeds - Courier, and Gentlemen's Magazine London, and to Miss Harvey 17 Albemarle Street Piccadilly London to order mourning for myself to down as soon as possible -
On sitting down to dinner, my aunt obliged to leave the room from a violent burst of grief - I went down to her in the drawing room - by and by left her tolerably composed, and came upstairs again - wrote a few hurried lines to Mr. Duffin (York) to IN- [Isabella Norcliffe] (Langton hall) to M- [Mariana] (Lawton hall) and to Miss Maclean (15 Hill Street Edinburgh) to inform them of the melancholy event -
Rayner, the undertaker came about 4 - my father and I gave the necessary orders - sent off all my letters to the post office - dressed - went downstairs at 5 1/2 - a little while with my aunt in the drawing - then with my father and Marian who had tea in the dining room - my aunt just came in to wish them good evening, and they went away a little after 6, in the chaise that brought them - my aunt had tea and I dinner at 6 3/4 - we were best left to ourselves, and talked of things as calmly as we could - the funeral to be tomorrow week - 8 tenants to be bearers, etc. etc. my aunt is as well as can be expected - everything reminds us of my uncle - How suddenly he has been snatched away at the last! It seems a frightful dream!
On coming upstairs to my room to dress after seeing my poor uncle looked into my heart and said lord I am a sinner there is not that sorrow there there ought to be I felt frightened to think that I could think at such a moment of temporal gain that I was now sure of the estate are others said I thus wicked and I knelt down and said my prayers oh the heart is indeed deceitful above all things he was the best of uncles to me oh that my heart were more right within me I shed a tear or two when my father and Marian came and stopt once in reading the will I am grave and feel anxious to do and seem all that is decorous but there is not that deep grief at my heart I think there ought to be oh that I were better lord have mercy on me and forsake me not oh clense my heart and forsake me not for mine iniquity -
Fine day, but thick - my poor uncle complained yesterday he could not keep himself warm even close to the fire - cold, too, today - Barometer 3 1/8 degrees above changeable Fahrenheit 31 1/2° at 9 40/60 at which hour came up to my room to bed - had my hair curled then wrote all the above of today - my letter to the editor of Yorkshire Gazette was 'Sir - I shall be much obliged to you to insert the following paragraph in your next paper January 26, at his house, Shibden hall, in this county, James Lister esquire, aged 77. His death, awfully sudden at the last, was instantaneously occasioned by the rupture of some large blood-vessel near the heart - I shall be much obliged to you to transmit the above paragraph to the editors of the other York papers I am, sir, your honourable servant A Lister' - the same paragraph to the editor of the Leeds Intelligencer - To the editors of the Courier, and of the Gentlemen's magazine merely the 1st part of it, leaving out the cause of my uncle's death -
Had just done the above of today at 11 1/4 - E - then wrote a letter to Mr. Briggs to say, I have some thought of selling my horse if I can get my price for him, and begging him to let me know what he thinks he is worth, and what he thinks he can sell him for - to let me hear from him in ten day - He shall, at all rates, have the horse 2 or 3 weeks longer - the account of him as good as I expected - do not like him the worse for riding rather heavier in hand than Mr. B- [Briggs] seems to wish - then wrote a note to Mr. Rayner mentioning the bearers etc. then wrote a note to Marian about their servants' mourning etc. and to inquire after my father and herself - all which and writing the last 6 lines took me till 12 1/2 -
Reference: SH:7/ML/E/9/0052 - SH:7/ML/E/9/0053
