h your old friends and playmates? It
goes without saying that you are missing your
papa, but before one knows we shall all be at home
in London, as hurried and surprised as ever with
the interesting people and events that pass by.
Mr. Duncan is to join us for the walking tour, and
has planned at least one daring ascent with the
Alpine Club. I came upon his terrible shoes this
morning in one of his boxes and they made me quite
gloomy. Pray give my best regards to Miss
Leicester, and Miss Mary Leicester; they seem very
dear friends to me already, and when I come to
America I shall be seeing old friends for the
first time, which is always charming. I leave the
girls to write their own words to you, but
Standish desires her duty to Miss Betty, and says
that her winter coat is to be new-lined, if she
would kindly bear it in mind; the silk is badly
frayed, if Standish may say so! I do not think
from what I know of the American climate that you
will be needing it yet, but dear old Standish is
very thoughtful of all her charges. We had only a
flying note from your papa, written on his way
north, and shall be glad when you can send us news
of him. God bless you, my dear child, and make you
a blessing! I hope that you will do good and get
good in this quiet summer. Write to me often; I
feel as if you were almost my own girl. Yours most
tenderly,

MARY DUNCAN.

From papa, these:--

DEAREST BETTY,--This morning it is a wild country
all along the way, untamed and unhumanized for the
most part, and we go flying along through dark
forests and forlorn burnt lands from tiny station
to station. I am getting a good bit of writing
done with the only decent stylographic pen I ever
saw. I thought I had brought plenty of pencils,
but they were not in my small portmanteau, and
after going to the baggage-car and putting
everybody to great trouble to get out my large
one, they were not there either. Can any one
explain? I found the dear small copy of Florio's
"Montaigne" which you must