Another dinner-party at the observatory, consisting of the Struves, General and Mrs.Sabine, Professor and Mrs.Powell, Mr.Main, and ourselves; more guests coming to tea.
"Mrs.Airy told me that she should arrange the order of the guests at table to please herself; that properly all of the married ladies should precede me, but that I was really to go first, with Mr.Airy.To effect this, however, she must explain it to Mrs.Sabine, the lady of highest rank.
"So we went out, Professor Airy and myself, Professor Powell and Mrs.
Sabine, General Sabine and Mrs.Powell, Mr.Charles Struve and Miss S., Mr.Main, Mrs.Airy, and Professor Struve.
"General Sabine is a small man, gray haired and sharp featured, about seventy years old.

He smiles very readily, and is chatty and sociable at once.

He speaks with more quickness and ease than most of the Englishmen I have met.

Mrs.Sabine is very agreeable and not a bit of a blue-stocking.
"The chat at table was general and very interesting.

Mr.Airy says, 'The best of a good dinner is the amount of talk.' He talked of the great 'Leviathan' which he and Struve had just visited, then anecdotes were told by others, then they went on to comic poetry.