e's friend, and not himself.

'We sat up in Nina's room till nigh morning, and to-day I have scarcely
seen her, for she wants to be let sleep, after that long and tiresome
journey, and I take the opportunity to write you this very rambling
epistle; for you may feel sure I shall be less of a correspondent now than
when I was without companionship, and I counsel you to be very grateful if
you hear from me soon again.

'Papa wants to take Duggan's farm from him, and Lanty Moore's meadows,
and throw them into the lawn; but I hope he won't persist in the plan;
not alone because it is a mere extravagance, but that the county is very
unsettled just now about land-tenure, and the people are hoping all
sorts of things from Parliament, and any interference with them at
this time would be ill taken. Father Cody was here yesterday, and told
me confidentially to prevent papa--not so easy a thing as he thinks,
particularly if he should come to suspect that any intimidation was
intended--and Miss O'Shea unfortunately said something the other day that
papa cannot get out of his head, and keeps on repeating. "So, then, it's
our turn now," the fellows say; "the landlords have had five hundred years
of it; it's time we should come in." And this he says over and over with a
little laugh, and I wish to my heart Miss Betty had kept it to herself. By
the way, her nephew is to come on leave, and pass two months with her; and
she says she hopes you will be here at the same time, to keep him company;
but I have a notion that another playfellow may prove a dangerous rival to
the Hungarian hussar; perhaps, however, you would hand over Joe Atlee to
him.

'Be sure you bring us some new books, and some music, when you come, or
send them, if you don't come soon. I am terrified lest Nina should think
the place dreary, and I don't know how she is to live here if she does not
take to the vulgar drudgeries that fill my own life. When she abruptly
asked me, "What do you do here?" I was sorely puzzled to know what to
answer, and then she added quickly: "For my own part, it's no great matter,
for I can always dream. I'm a great dreamer!" Is it not lucky for her,
Dick? She'll have ample time for it here.

'I suppose I never wrote so long a letter as this in my life; indeed I
never had a subject that had such a fascination for myself. Do you know,
Dick, that though I promised to let her sleep on till nigh dinner-time, I
find myself every now and then creepi