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entire strangers to me where I used to know them all. Many spoke most encouragingly to me of my picture as an exceptional work and fully meriting the best place on the walls. I was quite overcome by this spontaneous recognition and felt to the full the pleasure of a genuine success. Weir was there. His picture "Forging a Shaft" was hung above the line but looked finely. He was greatly disappointed at its position but I consoled him by telling him I believed its position was owing to its having arrived late from the Paris Exposition. It looked finely in spite of being above the line and really could be perfectly well seen. I took a hasty glance around and am convinced of the high character of the exhibition and feel that it must attract unusual attention. Weir came to my studio and lunched with me. All the respect shown me and my work made me feel much better and I passed the day better than I feared I would. In the evening Mary and I went in the rain to Booths last reception as they go to Chicago on Thursday. We had a very pleasant evening. Mrs. Hugh (Genl Scotts daughter) and her daughter were there. Haven Putnam, his wife and her sister Mrs. Hill, Du Challen, Mr. Gill author of a life of Poe and Miss Nichols. We staid until nearly midnight.

Sunday Mar 30. Mary and I went to hear Mr. Chapin in the morning. I came afterward to my studio and sent a card for the Academy reception to Mrs. Hugh and then went to Booths to dinner. After dinner he and I walked up to call on Eastman but they had just gone out so we walked back and stopped at Giffords. We found them at dinner with Geo. Fuller & Weir. Booth staid a while and went home leaving me. At ten we all left. I went to the Century where I had some supper and met Stedman who introduced me to Col. Lawhorn Bayard Taylors brother-in-law who married Emma. They live at Colorado Springs and are intimate with Helen Hunt, now Mrs. Jackson. I asked him about Taylors first wife. He said she was a lovely woman the daughter of farmers, but her father was an intuitive gentleman. She was in every way a fit companion for Taylor who loved her devotedly. He married her on her death bed but had she lived she would have grown with his growth and been able to adapt herself to the station he filled so perfectly. Her name was Mary Agnew and Lilian was a pet name for her.