rom Hartford; and at
New Haven there was another committee; and the immense fatigue and
worry of all this, no words can exaggerate. We had been in the morning
over jails and deaf and dumb asylums; had stopped on the journey at a
place called Wallingford, where a whole town had turned out to see me,
and to gratify whose curiosity the train stopped expressly; had had a
day of great excitement and exertion on the Thursday (this being
Friday); and were inexpressibly worn out. And when at last we got to bed
and were 'going' to fall asleep, the choristers of the college turned
out in a body, under the window, and serenaded us! We had had,
by-the-by, another serenade at Hartford, from a Mr. Adams (a nephew of
John Quincy Adams) and a German friend. _They_ were most beautiful
singers: and when they began, in the dead of the night, in a long,
musical, echoing passage outside our chamber door; singing, in low
voices to guitars, about home and absent friends and other topics that
they knew would interest us; we were more moved than I can tell you. In
the midst of my sentimentality, though, a thought occurred to me which
made me laugh so immoderately that I was obliged to cover my face with
the bedclothes. 'Good Heavens!' I said to Kate, 'what a monstrously
ridiculous and commonplace appearance my boots must have, outside the
door!' I never _was_ so impressed with a sense of the absurdity of
boots, in all my life.

"The New Haven serenade was not so good; though there were a great many
voices, and a 'reg'lar' band. It hadn't the heart of the other. Before
it was six hours old, we were dressing with might and main, and making
ready for our departure; it being a drive of twenty minutes to the
steamboat, and the hour of sailing nine o'clock. After a hasty breakfast
we started off; and after another levee on the deck (actually on the
deck), and 'three times three for Dickens,' moved towards New York.

"I was delighted to find on board a Mr. Felton whom I had known at
Boston. He is the Greek professor at Cambridge, and was going on to the
ball and dinner. Like most men of his class whom I have seen, he is a
most delightful fellow,--unaffected, hearty, genial, jolly; quite an
Englishman of the best sort. We drank all the porter on board, ate all
the cold pork and cheese, and were very merry indeed. I should have told
you, in its proper place, that both at Hartford and New Haven a regular
bank was subscribed, by these committees, for _al