1889 diary p26 Bowkers

[Deskman]

Thanks bbart,

I am working on your ideas.

Meanwhile here is a new image of the two mystery words - taken with very bright light and at high res.

Would images of words ending with 'lling' be useful?
'Calling' already appears in an earlier reply above.

[Deskman]

bbart's interesting suggestions have led me to look at all the possible names in the diary but with no potential matches.

The 129 capital Es in the diary vary considerably.

One is Etc in the  1889 diary p15 Chapel 1 topic.
Others are here.

[Deskman]

The first mystery word must be getting

There 9 'gettings' in the diary.

These two examples evidence.

[bbart]

If the first word is getting, it shows that some letter t's are uncrossed and loopy, like a small L.

This would mean one or both of the L's in the second word could be t's.   

Looking again at the first letter of mystery word 2:
 I followed (with my cursor) how he wrote it.  If you do that to almost all the known small s's, you will see how he writes it much like handwriting the numeral "2", and that is the same as the letter in question, except he put a C over it.  It seems odd that he would correct an error, when it all seems to be hurriedly entered text.

I'm trying to figure out what he could be doing in his room to lie low.... reading, writing, etc,  and nothing is coming near to that word.  How old is this fellow?  Maybe it is some game to pass time, as in cards??

I'll look again with fresh eyes tomorrow; maybe I will have an epiphany and get it!

[Karen McDonald]

I woke up thinking about this thread this morning..! 

Still no epiphany for me, unfortunately.

I'm working on it, though! 

Thanks for clarifying "getting", Deskman.

Karen

[Deskman]

Epiphany!

"...getting G calling to my rooms..."

The writer's capital Gs are varied. See below.

G would be Arthur Gerald - known to the diarist as Gerald. Gerald (aged 14) was a member of the writer's literary society which met in his rooms and a member of the football team.

Thanks to arthurk, bbart, Greensleeves and Karen McDonald. Your persistence has been so powerful.

Unless anyone has the will to look further topic completed 

[Karen McDonald]

Aha!

[arthurk]

Now that's a new light arthurk. Thank you.
I don't think it is a two. Two is one of the few words that is written clearly!

OK, I'm behind the times and you've cracked it, so well done everyone.

Anyway, just returning to the word before 'household', which I don't think anyone has mentioned since Deskman's comment: I didn't think it looked like the (2nd letter not tall enough), so my next guess was two. Looking at it again today, I now think it's his.

[josey]

Spot on arthurk, have been watching these threads but haven't yet had anything to contribute