1889 diary p15 Chapel 1

[Deskman]

Any help with this text, especially red text is much appreciated.

 "in evening, poor old Lewis in agony during “short prayer meeting to which we hope all who can will Etc” as all did, saying we had to also, I think I was more miserable with him there than by myself, even Father couldn’t or at all events didn’t defend it & spontaneous said he enjoyed the church more, Lewis said only thing in prayers he agreed with was sentence of old woman who burst into words during closing prayers of The local preacher “Give him that knowledge & grace which he so much needs” We L & I called at Brights & had tea..."

The bold text is thanks to help here.

My next new topic post will be the baffling account of the tea party carrying on from this extract.

The folks here are brightening my transcription from dark uncertainty to wonder. Thank you.

[arthurk]

 "in evening, poor old Lewis in agony during short prayer meeting to where we hope all who can will xxx as all did xxx we had to also, I think I was more miserable with him there than by myself, even father couldn’t or at all accounts didn’t defend it & spontaneously said he enjoyed the church more, Lewis said only thing in prayers he agreed with was sentence of old woman who burst into words during closing prayers of local preacher "Give him that knowledge & grace which he so much needs" With L & D called at Brights & had tea…"

I know it will not be ‘Ely’. Could it really be ‘Fly’?

My first thought on this was Etc, but there's more than just that - maybe an abbreviation with a superscript? The next xxx is a mystery to me as well.

However, I'm fairly confident on the rest of what I made out - sounds a bundle of laughs...

[Deskman]

Thank you arthurk.

I have been chuckling at scene you have revealed. I will keep on poking at the script

[Bookbox]

I know it will not be ‘Ely’. Could it really be ‘Fly’?

My first thought on this was Etc, but there's more than just that - maybe an abbreviation with a superscript? The next xxx is a mystery to me as well.

I also think the first one may well be Etc. (with a long ‘tail’); the crossbar of the t is misplaced and runs into the closing quotes that follow.
 
The second one seems to begin with that round s..., but I’m stumped at present.

A couple of other points:

at all events ... & spontaneous said ...

Last line, I think is ... We L & D

sounds a bundle of laughs...

I daresay the tea party will be more fun.

[Bookbox]

I wonder if it's ... as all did(,) shyly we had to also.

Can't easily see the h, but I can't think of many short words beginning s with a y in the middle and a y at the end, as this appears to have?

[arthurk]

How about this, inspired by Bookbox's suggestion of shyly?

"... short prayer meeting to which we hope all who can will Etc."
(Maybe a standard phrase used in church notices - also accounts for the inverted commas (") before 'short', which I omitted from my earlier effort because I thought they belonged to something on the line above, but now I think they may be closed off by the ones following 'Etc'.)

Then, the writer felt he/they had little option but to attend because it was what everyone else expected of them:

... as all did saying we had to also, I think…

[Bookbox]

Then, the writer felt he/they had little option but to attend because it was what everyone else expected of them:

... as all did saying we had to also, I think…

Another good idea, Arthur, and it flows more naturally than mine. I just wondered what that ascender is doing next to the s, and thought it might be part of h.

[Deskman]

Thank you Arthurk & Bookbox; a triumph.
I have amended and marked up my transcript
Sadly spontaneous appears to be correct, it is just so clumsy. At the end I have gone for with rather than we as I think it will make sense.
I don't think the tea party is going to bring any joy.

[Bookbox]

At the end I have gone for with rather than we as I think it will make sense.

Revisiting this, as a parting shot, I now think it's ... We(,) L & I, meaning Lewis and the writer himself. The word does look very similar to other known examples of We in this extract.