of infection, as will appear from the
following illustration. Miss Isa Bowman and her sister, Nellie, were
at one time staying with him at Eastbourne, when news came from home
that their youngest sister had caught the scarlet fever. From that day
every letter which came from Mrs. Bowman to the children was held up
by Mr. Dodgson, while the two little girls, standing at the opposite
end of the room, had to read it as best they could. Mr. Dodgson, who
was the soul of honour, used always to turn his head to one side
during these readings, lest he might inadvertently see some words that
were not meant for his eyes.

Some extracts from letters of his to a child-friend, who prefers to
remain anonymous, follow:

_November_ 30, 1879.

I have been awfully busy, and I've had to write _heaps_
of letters--wheelbarrows full, almost. And it tires me so
that generally I go to bed again the next minute after I get
up: and sometimes I go to bed again a minute _before_ I
get up! Did you ever hear of any one being so tired as
_that?_...

_November_ 7, 1882.

My dear E--, How often you must find yourself in want of a
pin! For instance, you go into a shop, and you say to the
man, "I want the largest penny bun you can let me have for a
halfpenny." And perhaps the man looks stupid, and doesn't
quite understand what you mean. Then how convenient it is to
have a pin ready to stick into the back of his hand, while
you say, "Now then! Look sharp, stupid!"... and even when
you don't happen to want a pin, how often you think to
yourself, "They say Interlacken is a very pretty place. I
wonder what it looks like!" (That is the place that is
painted on this pincushion.)

When you don't happen to want either a pin or pictures, it
may just remind you of a friend who sometimes thinks of his
dear little friend E--, and who is just now thinking of the
day he met her on the parade, the first time she had been
allowed to come out alone to look for him....

_December_ 26, 1886.

My dear E--, Though rushing, rapid rivers roar between us
(if you refer to the map of England, I think you'll find
that to be correct), we still remember each other, and feel
a sort of shivery affection for each other....

_March_ 31, 1890.

I _do_ sympathise so heartily with you in what you say
about feeling shy with children when you