‘_April 14th._—History. Elizabeth. Called on Mrs. Blenkarne. Dined at Chapter House. Idle. Indulgence in reading story at my time for evening prayer. Unpunctual in morning. Thoughtless about Mama. ‘_April 20th._—History, 16th Century. Felt terribly cross. O grant me calmness. ‘_April 22nd._—Went about servants till 11.30. Wrote to Miss Hyde. Still some tempest within. ‘_June 2nd._—Copying. Dinner party. Eliza at home. Worldly. ‘_June 3rd._—Headache. To Mrs. Northcote’s. [Wrote] preface. ‘_June 4th._—Saw Mrs. Barrett. Copied. Neglected prayer greatly. Very worldly. ‘_June 7th._—Wrote letters. A terrible blank of worldliness. Idle. ‘_June 9th._—Wrote to Miss Elwall. Letter from Cheltenham. M. copied certificates. Worldly. Spoke angrily to A. ‘_June 10th._—Wrote to Cheltenham. Saxon Exhibition. Selfish and worldly. ‘_June 13th._—S. Bartholomew’s twice. H. E. Inattentive twice. Unkind thoughts and words. ‘_June 14th._—Letter to go to Cheltenham. ‘_June 16th._—Elected.’ CHAPTER V CHELTENHAM ‘He builded better than he knew.’—EMERSON. Dorothea Beale in age remembered that in youth she had planned ‘an air-castle school, with a central quadrangle, cloisters and rooms over.’ To few is it given, as it was given to her, to realise so nearly the dreams of youth, for few possess the sense of purpose and the indomitable will which fell to her portion. But the college of her vision did not come into being without a process of development so slow that for some years progress could hardly be recorded, nor without infinite disappointment even in matters which seemed at the time vital; not without ceaseless effort, seen and unseen, on the part of the Lady Principal. We have reached, in the twentieth century, a period in the history of education in which schools may be said to be founded ready-made. A great and fine ‘plant,’ opening ceremonies, royal patronage, appear necessities from the beginning. The Ladies’ College, Cheltenham, was twenty years old before it had a building of its own, its first stone was laid by an unknown hand, its opening rite consisted of school prayers in the ordinary way on a Monday morning, at 9 A.M., with the addition of a few words rather nervously read by the Lady Principal. The college has never had a patron, nor did it even have any specially distinguished visitor, till the Empress Frederick came in 1897.