Hunt’s _Converted British Family_ is now sold, having met with a purchaser at £150 in Mr. Combe, of Oxford; to which place it was sent, on Millais’s recommendation, to be kept in view at Mr. Wyatt the printseller’s. Necessity makes us acquainted with strange Art-fellows. Before this, Hunt had--in conjunction with Stephens on his introduction--been cleaning and restoring a ceiling &c. at the Trinity House by Rigaud, an old R.A., representing the Junction of Father Thames and Father Severn, or some such slosh. A guinea a day for cleaning, and two guineas for restoring, were not however to be thrown away. Immediately on the opening of the exhibition, Hunt had set about a picture of the interview of Isabel and Claudio in prison from _Measure for Measure_, a commission from Mr. Gibbons, the purchaser of his _Rienzi_. This is now nearly finished, and he has made a design for the last scene of the _Two Gentlemen of Verona_--“Ruffian, forbear thy rude uncivil touch.” He left London about a fortnight back, for Sevenoaks, in the neighbourhood of which, at Knowle Park, he is now painting the forest-background of this subject. His other chief designs since the exhibition opened have been the breaking of the spell, from _The Lady of Shalott_, and one, not yet finished, of Ruth at meal-time receiving corn from Boaz to eat. He has also completed his old design from _Isabella_, “He knew whose gentle hand was at the latch, Before the door had given her to his eye.” Hunt talks of going to Jerusalem when he can set about the Ruth, and painting it on the spot, and Gabriel is to accompany him; a project which has become a hissing and a reproach between Woolner and myself, who are infidel concerning it. Stephens is with Hunt, for the purpose of painting part of the background in his picture of _Griseldis and the Marquis_, to which he has just returned. Gabriel has a study now in 74 Newman Street.... Thursday 24th.--A most wet, miserable, dreary day, one uninterrupted drench. This style of thing began yesterday, the very day Gabriel left for the purpose of out-of-doors painting, and seems now regularly set in. A nice damper for a man’s enthusiasm when every moment must be turned to the uttermost account.... Friday 25th.--A letter came from Gabriel, saying that he and Hunt were soaked through and through yesterday in painting, and requesting a further supply of clothes to meet a similar emergency.... Brown has done a very great quantity of his _Chaucer_ picture since I saw it last.... Saturday 26th.--I had a note from Mr. Cox, of _The Critic_, purporting to accompany three volumes of poems for me to review--_Death’s Jest-book_, Cassels’s _Eidolon_, and another.... I spent the evening at Brown’s.... Woolner and I had to fight fiercely for Tennyson and Browning, against Thomas, Lowes Dickinson, and Brown, chiefly, as champions for Byron, Pope, etc....