So many of the loveliest things in England are melancholy.

But some characters in books are really real--Jane Austen's are; and I know those five Bennets at the opening of Pride and Prejudice, simply waiting to raven the young men at Netherfield Park, are not giving one thought to the real facts of marriage.

It is rather exciting to write by moonlight.

The one Bach piece I learnt made me feel I was being repeatedly hit on the head with a teaspoon.

Father says hot water can be as stimulating as an alcoholic drink and though I never come by one...I can well believe it.

I have found that sitting in a place where you have never sat before can be inspiring.

Thinking of death--strange, beautiful, terrible and a long way off--made me feel happier than ever.