ollows an egg, with another kiss on the left cheek; then a bit of
toast, with a bear-hug, and so on. We have a few pleasant friends
here, you know, and they come to see mamma without asking her to return
the calls, as they see plainly she has no strength for society. . . .
POLLY.

P. S. We have a remarkable front door, which opens with a spring
located in the wall at the top of the stairs. It is a modern
improvement and I never tire of opening it, even though each time I am
obliged to go downstairs to close it again.

When Dr. George came last week, he rang the bell, and being tired with
the long pull up the hill, leaned against the door to breathe. Of
course I knew nothing of this, and as soon as I heard the bell I flew
to open the door with my usual neatness and dispatch, when who should
tumble in, full length, but poor dear Dr. George! He was so surprised,
and the opposite neighbors were so interested, and I was so sorry, that
I was almost hysterical. Dr. George insists that the door is a trap
laid for unsuspecting country people.

November 9.

. . . The first week is over, and the finances did n't come out right
at all. I have a system of bookkeeping which is original, simple,
practical, and absolutely reliable. The house-money I keep in a
cigar-box with three partitions (formerly used for birds' eggs), and I
divide the month's money in four parts, and pay everything weekly.

The money for car-fare, clothing, and sundries I keep in an old silver
sugar-bowl, and the reserve fund, which we are never to touch save on
the most dreadful provocation, in a Japanese ginger-jar with a cover.
These, plainly marked, repose in my upper drawer. Mamma has no
business cares whatever, and everything ought to work to a charm, as it
will after a while. But this first week has been discouraging, and I
have had to borrow enough from compartment two, cigar-box, to pay debts
incurred by compartment one, cigar-box. This is probably because we
had to buy a bag of flour and ten pounds of sugar. Of course this
won't happen every week. . . .

I wrote Ah Foy a note after we arrived, for he really seems to have a
human affection for us. I inclose his answer to my letter. It is such
a miracle of Chinese construction that it is somewhat difficult to get
his idea; still I think I see that he is grateful for past favors; that
he misses us; that the boarders are going on "very happy and joy;" that
he is glad mamma is be