About this time I had a letter from my Father acquainting me of their return to Greenwich from Gosport & of their surprize at seeing my Sister in their way to Dorking, who had a Tumour at the side of her Neck of a considerable size, in consequence of which they took her with them to Greenwich to have it inspected by the Faculty of the Hospital, where having in vain attempted to disperse it, it was at length judged expedient that it sho’d be opened, to attend which operation my Aunt Marsh was sent for from Dorking, as my (step)Mother declar’d she co’d not be in the room at the time.. My Sister however, being too young to attend to injunctions of this kind, & having of course no Idea of the reason for it, soon began to prattle about Mamma being in the Pit hole, on which my Father suddenly left us & did not appear more that Evening.’ Mary was sent to live with one of her aunts at Dorking, the boys going to boarding school and being looked after when at home by Aunt Pratten, an older sister of their father’s.
The next day Mr Presland, Lieut’t of the Goliath, a very pleasant young Man & intimate Friend of Mr Williams’s, spent the Evening with us, as he did again on Friday the 20th, when in the Afternoon, Mr Williams, he & I went & had a game at Fives, with Racquets, at the Tennis Court at the Halfway Houses. Two years later, in March 1777, Marsh writes; ‘My sister being now on a visit at Dr. & Mrs Dobsons, Liverpool (the latter of whom took her down with her from London last Spring) I, on 29th. rece’d a Letter from a Mr Michael Hamer a young Merchant there, the youngest Brother to the Mr Hamer that married Miss Wood, (the daughter of his stepmother), with proposals to pay his addresses to my Sister. Life, shew’d the very great confidence he had reposed in the latter, as he undoubtedly never co’d have meant that his Daughter sho’d go to the Parish, or to Service, but on the contrary that his Widow sho’d be a Mother to her just the same as if he had left her the Property under that express condition; in which my Mother seem’d readily to acquiesce, 胡谨涛 saying that she sho’d always consider her House as her proper home etc. or else wo’d give up the property.
Mother’s Death. The £200 also paid to Mr Daman on my being articled to him, was directed to be repaid to my Mother as soon as I came into possession of the Kentish Estate, which was the only mention of me in the Will, my Brothers not being mentioned at all. At present therefore Mr W. & I both agreed that the only thing to be done was for him to return to his Mother (or some temporary situation provided for him by her) to whom we both afterwards urg’d in the strongest terms, the necessity of her conquering her prejudices to the Sea Service, & of bestirring herself in looking out for some situation as a Mate, in the Mercantile Line (he being too old to begin serving his time as a Midshipman in the Royal Navy) as soon as possible. Neither was Mrs M. at all inclin’d to be loquacious & only spoke now & then to reprove Mr W. for what she thought illtimed Wit, on the apparent Jeopardy of our Situation. Having been now being travelling about for near a Month at the most inclement Season of the Year I was not sorry at being set down again for some time, as I thought, at my own fireside with all my family about me, whom however I was under the necessity of leaving again the 3d. day after my return (tho’ but for a very short time) upon the following occasion.
As to our feelings etc. at this time, my Sister sat with her Head hanging down & Eyes shut without speaking a word, but more, I believe from a qualmissness she was always subject to on the Water than from fear. Went down to bed at 10 pm. By the middle of 1785 John Marsh decided that he could not afford the upkeep of Nethersole and the social round that went with it. The time of the Wedding being therefore fix’d for the middle of April, which was about the time I thought of going to Nethersole (where I meant to go a week or 2 before Mrs M. & the Child etc. in order to put up my Organ & get the House ready for their reception) I told Mr Williams I wo’d take Gosport in my way there, & accordingly on Tuesday the 15th. went in the Coach from Sarum (Salisbury) to Gosport, where in the Even’g at my Mother’s I met my Brother Will’m who having been that day paid off in the Andromache, had taken a parting Dinner & Glass of Wine at the Crown with his Captain & Brother Officers, was in such high Spirits that he wo’d scarce let anyone talk but himself & wo’d not let my Sister & I sing anything together without his joining & spoiling the whole.
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