40
till the afternoon.  Called on Blakeman. Wri-
ting at night.
  22.  Wednesday.  Down town, to Constellation Office.
Park Benjamin there & Roberts, lot of people in front of the
counter, carts outside, carpenters, painters and composi-
tors at work.  In the sanctum.   Roberts too busy to �make
an arrangement,� old Benjamin talkative as usual.  Asked
if I�d done editorial on the N. Y. stage � and on my men-
tioning that I was going to hear Holmes lecture proposed
my reporting it, wrote note &c.  Back and to work wri-
ting till evening, then to Clinton Hal.    House pretty full
half an hour ahead.  Got in front, subsequently moving
into reportorial quarters � only one other there.    Holmes is
not at all a distinguished looking man, smallish, prim,
thoughtful and very Bostonian � Bellew whom I met sub-
sequent to the lecture characterized his physiognomy as that
of a �mean-looking Emerson.�   It�s painful to write it, but
�the Autocrat� really looked something like the Professor �
our Professor � Mrs Potter�s Professor.   The lecture was
admirable throughout � more of deep thought than humor.
As I jotted three fourths of it down, I shan�t repeat the 
labor here.      Holmes came up to us at the conclusion, giving
me a printed synopsis of his lecture, scissored from a
newspaper.   Noyes of the Knickerbocker was there, also
young Wood, Bellew�s new editor � not Frank Leslie�s Wood.
  Back blazing away at editorial, finishing it by 12 or
thereabouts.
22.	Thursday.  To Benjamin�s, read editorial to him,