28 March 1864 – 3 April 1864

To Embley Park, Romsey [the home of Florence Nightingale's parents], invited from Saturday to Monday. Mrs. Clough is there (she is niece of Mrs. N, and cousin of Miss Florence Nightingale). Large house in a rich park : a rhododendron avenue. Immense drawing-room. Mr. Nightingale — tall, thin, courtly, white-haired, with blue swallow- tailed coat always buttoned ; in manner very quiet and sad. By his desire I read from In Memoriam one evening, and the poem seemed to impress him deeply. He and his wife live alone at the end of their days in this great house. Florence they never see and rarely, I think, hear from. She secludes herself in London on the ground of health and needing all her strength for public interests. There is a statuette of her in the hall.