in delicate autumn
haze; soft silence brooded over the landscape; on one side, a
brook gave to the gently sloping meadow spring-like verdure;
on the other, a grove,--which he had named for me,--lay softly
glowing in the gorgeous hues of October. It was very sad.
May this sorrow give me a higher sense of duty in the
relationships which remain.

'Dearest mother is worn to a shadow. Sometimes, when I look on
her pale face, and think of all her grief, and the cares and
anxieties which now beset her, I am appalled by the thought
that she may not continue with us long. Nothing sustains me
now but the thought that God, who saw fit to restore me to
life when I was so very willing to leave it,--more so, perhaps
than I shall ever be again,--must have some good work for me
to do.'

* * * * *

'_Nov. 3, 1835_.--I thought I should be able to write ere now,
how our affairs were settled, but that time has not come
yet. My father left no will, and, in consequence, our path
is hedged in by many petty difficulties. He has left less
property than we had anticipated, for he was not fortunate in
his investments in real estate. There will, however, be enough
to maintain my mother, and educate the children decently. I
have often had reason to regret being of the softer sex,
and never more than now. If I were an eldest son, I could be
guardian to my brothers and sister, administer the estate,
and really become the head of my family. As it is, I am very
ignorant of the management and value of property, and of
practical details. I always hated the din of such affairs, and
hoped to find a life-long refuge from them in the serene world
of literature and the arts. But I am now full of desire to
learn them, that I may be able to advise and act, where it
is necessary. The same mind which has made other attainments,
can, in time, compass these, however uncongenial to its nature
and habits.'

* * * * *

'I shall be obliged to give up selfishness in the end. May
God enable me to see the way clear, and not to let down
the intellectual, in raising the moral tone of my mind.
Difficulties and duties became distinct the very night after
my father's death, and a solemn prayer was offered then, that
I might combine what is due to others