She shows me the travel notes she has written and tells me of her intentions to write them up into a book to be published one day. I encourage her and she lets me read them myself, unlike her diaries which I know she edits as she reads aloud to me. I buy her a gift of a new blank volume from a stationer we pass, with much confusion as I do not speak a word of the language. I present it to her for her travel writing and she promises that it will be our next project on our return to Shibden; together, we shall write up her notes, edit them and create a volume for publication. Now, seeing France and Switzerland for myself, I make some notes of my own that we can add; it will be a collaboration, she says. I realise I am rather committing myself to further travel, but so be it. To complete a book together, what an achievement!

We wonder if we would ever dare publish it under the names Mr and Mrs A. Lister. Only time will tell.

I write to my sister of what a wonderful time we are having and all the new sights I am seeing. This letter goes to her home where Sutherland will read it and I picture him pawing it with his large dirty hands, passing it to Elizabeth with disdain and some comment or other about me.

I write to Mrs Priestley and Miss Whitaker and tell them what joys I am having with Miss Lister who has opened my eyes to the world. I tell them our journey here has much improved my health. I tell them of Anne’s plans for us to venture farther to the Pyrenees and of Anne’s ascent of Mount Perdu several years ago that no woman before her had accomplished, and how she hopes to make another. I even suggest next time I will make the ascent of a mountain with her, though I know none of us will believe this.