xford, writes to
one of her sisters as follows:--

THE COLLEGE, WORCESTER, 1885.

I have a very clear memory of the person and character of your
sister Bessie; it is a pleasure to me to recall them.

The natural gifts and graces of her mind and disposition were only
heightened by the loss of her eyesight. That wonderful compensating
power which often makes amends for loss of faculty in one sense by
corresponding intensity in another, her moral and spiritual
sensitiveness with that inward joyfulness recording itself in
outward expression of a pleased and happy countenance, were
remarkably evident. Out of many little traits indicative of this
and her quiet intuition of what favourably or otherwise might
strike her moral sense, I remember once when the appearance of some
one she personally, for some unknown reason, disliked, was being
remarked upon, and I had pronounced my admiration of it, she turned
quite gravely to me, and with deep earnestness, as if she was then
seeing or had recently seen the form and figure of him of whom we
were talking, exclaimed, "Oh, Mr. Melville, I cannot agree with
you! How can you admire him!" Something that had jarred with her
moral perceptions having made her transfer her judgment on the
character to the form and features of the person, as though she had
seen the analogy she felt there must be between the outward and the
inward.

Of the history of her self-devotion to the personal and industrial
improvement of those under like affliction with herself her whole
life was an illustration. Of that many must have much to tell.

During the removal from Oxford the Bishop and Mrs. Gilbert were in
London with two daughters, of whom Bessie was one; Fanny and the younger
ones were left under the charge of the faithful governess, Miss Lander,
and in bright and copious epistles they inform Bessie of all that is
going on in the old home. They tell how they had heard Adelaide Kemble
in Oxford, whom Bessie is shortly to hear at Covent Garden; how they met
many friends at the concert; how one gentleman told them that Adelaide
Kemble sang better than Catalani; and how three who had not heard
Catalani said she was equal to Grisi. How some of the "Fellows" went
home to supper with them, and how they all stayed up till twelve
o'clock, a great e