principle.

Edith longed to accompany them, but that was not to be thought of, and
so she consoled herself by writing long letters to Emilie, which
contained plenty of L---- news. I will transcribe one for you.

The following was dated a few months after the departure of the party,
not the first though, you may be sure.

L----, Dec, 18--
DEAREST EMILIE,

I am thinking so much of you to-night
that I must write to tell you so. I wish letters
only cost one penny to Frankfort, and I would write to
you every day. I want so to know how you are spending
your Christmas at Frankfort. We shall have no Christmas
tree this year. We all agreed that it would be a melancholy
attempt at mirth now you are gone, and dear Fred
and John and poor Joe. I fancy you will have one
though, and oh, I wish I was with you to see it, but
mamma is often very poorly now, and likes me to be
with her, and I know I am in the right place, so I
won't wish to be elsewhere. Papa is very much from
home now, he has so many patients at a distance, and
sometimes he takes me long rides with him, which is
a great pleasure. One of his patients is just dead,
you will be sorry to hear who I mean--Poor old Joe
Murray! He took cold in November, going out with
his Life Boat, one very stormy night, to a ship in
distress off L---- sands, the wind and rain were very
violent, and he was too long in his wet clothes, but he
saved with his own arm two of the crew; two boys about
the age of his own poor Bob. Every one says it was a
noble act; they were just ready to sink, and the boat in
another moment would have gone off without them. His
own life was in great danger, but be said he remembered
your, or rather the Saviour's, "Golden Rule," and could
not hesitate. Think of remembering that in a November
storm in the raging sea! He plunged in and dragged
first one and then another into the boat. These boys
were brothers, and it was their first voyage. They told
Joe that they had gone to sea out of opposition to their
father, who contradicted their desires in every thing, but
that now they had had quite enough of it, and should
return; but I must not tell you all their story, or my
letter will he too long. Joe, as I told you, caught cold,
and though he was kindly nursed and Sarah waited on him
beautifully, he got worse and worse. I often went to see
him, and he was very fond of my reading i