broad and bright as the
kitchen fire. Then I read, and re-read, and re-re-read, and quadruply,
quintuply, and sextuply re-read my epistle, until I had it all by heart,
and then continued to re-read it for the sake of the penmanship. Then I
took up the phrase-book again; but could not study, and so bathed and
retired, it being now not far from ten o'clock. I lay awake a good deal
in the night, but saw no ghost.

I arose about seven, and found that the upper part of my nose, and the
region round about, was grievously discolored; and at the angle of the
left eye there is a great spot of almost black purple, and a broad
streak of the same hue semicircling beneath either eye, while green,
yellow, and orange overspread the circumjacent country. It looks not
unlike a gorgeous sunset, throwing its splendor over the heaven of my
countenance. It will behoove me to show myself as little as possible;
else people will think I have fought a pitched battle.... The Devil take
the stick of wood! What had I done, that it should bemaul me so?
However, there is no pain, though, I think, a very slight affection of
the eyes.

This forenoon I began to write, and caught an idea by the skirts, which
I intend to hold fast, though it struggles to get free. As it was not
ready to be put upon paper, however, I took up the Dial, and finished
reading the article on Mr. Alcott. It is not very satisfactory, and it
has not taught me much. Then I read Margaret's article on Canova, which
is good. About this time the dinner-bell rang, and I went down without
much alacrity, though with a good appetite enough.... It was in the
angle of my _right_ eye, not my left, that the blackest purple was
collected. But they both look like the very Devil.

_Half past five o'clock._--After writing the above,... I again set to
work on Tieck's tale, and worried through several pages; and then, at
half past four, threw open one of the western windows of my study, and
sallied forth to take the sunshine. I went down through the orchard to
the river-side. The orchard-path is still deeply covered with snow; and
so is the whole visible universe, except streaks upon the hillsides, and
spots in the sunny hollows, where the brown earth peeps through. The
river, which a few days ago was entirely imprisoned, has now broken its
fetters; but a tract of ice extended across from near the foot of the
monument to the abutment of the old bridge, and looked so solid that I
supposed it wou