. Compared with it the worst of
Scheherazade's, in Burton's translation, were milk and water for a
nunnery. She seemed nonplussed when I told her to stop.

"Are oriental ladies in the habit of telling such stories?" I asked.

"Why, yes," she replied with a candid air of astonishment. "It is a
funny story."

"There is nothing funny whatever in it," said I. "A girl like you
oughtn't to know of the existence of such things."

"Why not?" asked Carlotta.

I am always being caught up by her questions. I tried to explain; but
it was difficult. If I had told her that a maiden's mind ought to be
as pure as the dewy rose she would not have understood me. Probably
she would have thought me a fool. And indeed I am inclined to
question whether it is an advantage to a maiden's after career to
be dewy-roselike in her unsophistication. In order to play tunes
indifferently well on the piano she undergoes the weary training of many
years; but she is called upon to display the somewhat more important
accomplishment of bringing children into the world without an hour's
educational preparation. The difficulty is, where to draw the line
between this dewy, but often disastrous, ignorance and Carlotta's
knowledge. I find it a most delicate and embarrassing problem. In fact,
the problems connected with this young woman seem endless. Yet they do
not disturb me as much as I had anticipated. I really believe I should
miss my pretty Persian cat. A man must be devoid of all aesthetic sense
to deny that she is delightful to look at.

And she has a thousand innocent coquetries and cajoling ways. She has a
manner of holding chocolate creams to her white teeth and talking to you
at the same time which is peculiarly fascinating. And she must have some
sense. To-night she asked me what I was writing. I replied, "A History
of the Morals of the Renaissance." "What are morals and what is the
Renaissance?" asked Carlotta. When you come to think of it, it is a
profound question, which philosophers and historians have wasted vain
lives in trying to answer. I perceive that I too must try to answer
it with a certain amount of definition. I have spent the evening
remodelling my Introduction, so as to define the two terms axiomatically
with my subsequent argument, and I find it greatly improved. Now this is
due to Carlotta.

The quantity of chocolate creams the child eats cannot be good for her
digestion. I must see to this.

July 2d.

A telegram fr