In June I left Stockwell and Newman Street for Hampstead, Emma going to Dover for the summer. At Hampstead I remained one year and nine months; most of the time intensely miserable, very hard up, and a little mad. During this time I was Head Master of the North London Drawing School for nearly a year. I once received £5 from the Secretary as a loan, which I returned to him a short time after; this was all I ever saw of my salary of £60 a year. The first work I undertook at Hampstead was the design for my picture of _Work_, still unfinished save the background. I also made a small copy of the _Baa Lambs_, and painted two small portraits; one for nothing, not even thanks, the other for £5. I began the background for _Work_ in the Streets of Hampstead, painting there all day for two months, having spent much time in inventing and making an apparatus. This, and finishing the picture of _Waiting_, took up till the beginning of October, when I commenced the Landscape of _English Autumn Afternoon_; which I had to give up after a month’s work, in consequence of Mrs. Coats’[75] being ill and her bedroom being required. Having given this up about the end of October, and decided that I should not have time to finish the _Work_ for the next Academy Exhibition, I designed the subject of _The Last of England_, at the coloured sketch and cartoon of which I worked till Christmas. During this period I worked about ten days at the cartoon of _Our Ladye_,[76] etc., and the picture of the _Baa Lambs_. About this time I also got the twelve guineas from Anthony, and sold the sketch of _Wiclif_ to McCracken for ten guineas, also the sketch of _The Infant’s Repast_ to some scoundrel at Bristol for £5. At the beginning of ’53 I worked for about six weeks at the picture of _Last of England_, Emma coming to sit to me in the most inhuman weather from Highgate. This work representing an out-door scene without sunlight, I painted at it chiefly out of doors when the snow was lying on the ground. The madder ribbons of the bonnet took me four weeks to paint. At length, finding that at this rate I could not get it done for the Academy, I gave it up in much disgust, and began re-painting the sketch of _Chaucer_ to give to John Marshall; on this I worked about two months, also a little at the painted sketch of _Cordelia_ from the etching in _Germ_.