131
	        Banks and Brays.
woman in New York � he, Banks, had deter-
mined to devote himself to literature again � he�d
give himself twelve months to obtain a footing
� he had the entr�e to Harper�s � anything
he took there would be accepted (this in consequence
of the insertion of one forlorn, half-cracked, half-
column article!) � it served Pearsall right
that Clapp had swindled him � what right
had an aristocrat to come among literary (!)
men? � with more blatherskite than this book
would hold.       I lit my pipe, put my legs
up, and let him talk.         O�Brien�s false, strident
laugh proceeding from the cellar, and I saw Clapp�s
hideous face on its way to it.                    Lord
give me an opportunity to paint this life better
than I�m doing it now!
  8.  Sunday.  And a wet one.      Writing all
the morning, loafing all the afternoon, then
leaving my room in possession of Morris, Billington
and the artist Thomson (who characteristically pre-
ferred it to that of the former) to Chapin�s.       Subse-
quently to Edwards� where Morris came afterwards.
Haney there, and Hayes (the scene-painter.)   The
girls singing hymns.    Damoreau had been spend
ing the day with Haney.       He was up on Friday
evening in my room; has been discharged from
Frank Leslie�s and gone over to the rival paper,