not see how it is possible
for any reasonable being to doubt the propriety ... or, rather, let
me say _the absolute duty_--of your renewing your prison
visitations. A gracious Providence has blessed you with success in
your endeavors to impress a set of miserables, whose character and
circumstances might almost have extinguished hope, and you will
return to them, if with diminished pecuniary powers, yet, we may
trust, through the mercy and goodness of our Heavenly Father, with
powers of a far higher order unimpaired, and with the augmented
respect and regard of every sound judgment ... for having borne
with becoming disposition a far harder trial certainly than any
stroke which proceeds immediately from the hand of God. May you
continue, my dear Madam, to be the honored instrument of great and
rare benefits to almost the most pitiable of your fellow-creatures.

The _Record_ newspaper had suggested that additional contributions
should be sent to the chief of the societies which had been inaugurated
by Mrs. Fry, and so largely supported by her. The Marquis of
Cholmondeley wrote to Mrs. Opie, inquiring of that lady fuller
particulars of the disaster, in so far as it affected or was likely to
affect Mrs. Fry's benevolent work. He had been a staunch friend of her
labors, having seconded them many times when the life of a wretched
felon was at stake; and now, continuing the interest which he had
hitherto exhibited, he was fearful lest this business calamity would put
a stop to many of those labors. Mrs. Opie, whose friendship dated from
the old Norwich days, lost no time in writing as follows to her
suffering friend:--

Though I have not hitherto felt free in mind to write to thee, my
very dear friend, under thy present most severe trial, thou hast
been continually, I may say, in my thoughts, brought feelingly and
solemnly before me, both day and night. I must also tell thee that,
two nights ago, I had a pleasing, cheering dream of thee:--I saw
thee looking thy best, dressed with peculiar care and neatness, and
smiling so brightly that I could not help stroking thy cheek, and
saying, "Dear friend! it is quite delightful to me to see thee
looking thus again, so like the Betsey Fry of former days;" and
then I woke. But this sweet image of thee lives with me still....
Since your trials were known, I have rarel