I shall defraud you of them--aren't
you glad? Have you read the "Gates Ajar"? I have, with real pain. I do
not think you will be so shocked at it as I am, but hope you don't like
it. It is full of talent, but has next to no Christ in it, and my heaven
is full of Him. I have finished Faber. How queer he is with his 3's and
5's and 6's and 7's! I feel all done up into little sums in addition,
and that's about all I know of myself--he's bewildered me so. There are
fine things in it, and I took the liberty of making a wee cross against
some of them, which you can rub out. Miss L. sent me another of his
books, which I am reading now--"All for Jesus."

_To Mrs. Henry B. Smith, New York, March 22, 1869_

We were gladdened early this morning by the arrival of your letter,
and the good news it contained. I had a dreadful fright on the day you
reached Southampton. Mr. Moore sent up a cable dispatch announcing the
fact, and as it came directed to both of us, and I supposed it to be
from you, I thought some terrible thing had happened. I paraded down to
M. with your letter, and she, at the same time, paraded up here with the
one to her and the rest. So we got all the news there was, and longed
for more. I hope the worst is now over. I have just got home from a
visit of four days and nights to Miss Lyman. I enjoyed it exceedingly,
and wish I could tell you all about it, but can't in a letter. She has
turns of looking absolutely _aged_, and seems a good deal of the time in
a perfect worry, I don't know what about. Otherwise she is better than
last summer. I never saw her when at work before, and perhaps she always
appears so. We had two or three good rousing laughs, however, and that
did us both good. I did not know she was so fond of flowers; she buys
them and keeps loads of them about her parlors, library, and bedroom.
What a world it is there! I only wish she was happier in her work, but
perhaps if we could get behind the scenes, we should find all human
workers have their sorrows and misgivings and faintings. According to
her I had an "inquiry meeting" once or twice; believe it if you can and
dare. It was certainly very pleasant to get into such an intelligent
Christian atmosphere, and on the whole I've got rather converted to
Vassar.

I have been greatly delighted with a present of one of my father's cuff-
buttons (which I well remember), and a lock of his hair.... I haven't
got anything more to say. Oh, Mrs. ---- left that on