2. Phoebe Carlyle had died in childbirth, 26 Aug. TC wrote in his Journal, 30 Aug.: “A blazing hot day, now noon: I am just returned from the last act of one of the saddest tragedies,—burial of my poor sister-in-law
… a widow of good family and circumstances, whom he had known at Rome … . She was 4 or 5 months gone in the family way; but
full of life, vigour, and locomotion:—a good prudent cheerful woman, whom it was very easy to live with; whose plain, natural,
wholesome ways were gradually gaining upon me more and more. John and she ran about in all directions; seeking houses, seeing
sights: they had both been used long to a traveling roaming life … . On Thursday the week before last … they had gone together
into the Watford region, seeking houses; were in the N.W. Railway not far from Harrow, when some alarm and imminent danger of a collision occurred; there was probably no collision (only the grinding off of handles &c from their
carriages, by the trucks of a luggage-train out of its place); but her terror (tho' John seems to have behaved well) was great,—pale
&c, and trembled for some time after. Next day she complained of nothing, was at Wandsworth looking after a house, was here
in the evening: neither on the second morning (Saturday 19th) did she complain of anything; but in the afternoon she was suddenly seized with fits, successive violent fits whh proved to be of a hysterical nature, and cd not be stopt for about 30 hours after,—not in fact, tho' the Physicians did not regard it, till the energies of life itself
were worn out. What a week! … On Saturday she bore, without difficulty, quite on the sudden, a dead child; the Doctors then
thot it was surely now all well, and we were out of danger. Messages came hither once or twice … all of a hopeful character;—suddenly
abt nine p.m. came a last message that she was gone; she had fallen into a kind of faint, or partial fit (too weak now to have
a whole fit), lay so for about an hour, when life itself fled, and all was over,—I have not in my time been near such a tragedy
before. An amiable good woman, to whom in life (privately) I was perhaps hardly just in my estimate of her; so ready to be happy … . Two of her little boys sat today in the carriage with John and me; weeping now and then, as only the young
can do, sacred tears … . My poor brother has been painful to contemplate, all this while; not sad only but worse. He has slept
here ever since her death.”
3. TC also wrote in his Journal, 30 Aug.: “Have been running over the Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg, hastily writing down what I knew of them, for two weeks past …
uncertain where to attempt next. Must attempt, must succeed!—Cholera rather bad in London & Chelsea, tho' we don't speak of
it; weather very hot,—will not last so long perhaps. Friends (if I had any) and acquaintances all gone together; a Town lonely
as La Trappe for me. To work!—” La Trappe is where the silent Cistercian monastic order was founded.
