inning; her conversation never flagged,
was never trifling, never pedantic, never harsh; it always kept you
at an elevation which at once soothed and invigorated the mind. There
was not in her nature the slightest tinge of the cynical skepticism
or sarcastic contempt which chill the soul, and annihilate hope and
courage. These are the weapons which vulgar minds oppose to
misfortune, the bitter and poisonous plants which wrongs and
calamities produce in poor and barren hearts; but her tender and
magnanimous nature could bring forth nothing which was not good and
generous. It was most affecting to watch the working of her
transparent mind through its faithful index, her countenance, during
conversation.

"The interest her great qualities inspired was raised, by pity for her
cruel misfortunes, to a height which might almost be called a
passion. A veil of sadness overspread her sweet face; but behind this
veil there was always such a beaming benignity, so lovely a concern
for the welfare of mankind, such a high-hearted courage, that you
left her cheered rather than depressed. It is to the extraordinary
power she had of giving a high tone to the minds of others, joined to
the unalterable sweetness of her daily intercourse, that I attribute
the discouraged feeling common to those who mourn her loss. If her
misfortunes were august, solemn, and terrible as a Greek tragedy, her
heart was large, high, and strong enough to meet them. With all her
gentleness, Christian and womanly patience, the most striking feature
in her character was its moral grandeur.

"Greatness of mind and nobleness
Build in her loveliest, and create an awe
About her, as a guard angelic placed."

Such a woman is the highest exemplar and benefactor of her sex. A
religious quality is evoked in the soul that contemplates her. Every
impure feeling is struck dead with awe before her. The angelic
serenity of her face is as if the smiles which others wear outwardly,
with her had retreated inward, and hovered in perpetual play about
the heart. By spiritual contact with her, other persons become
angelic also. She teaches, by example, what a divine exaltation is
sometimes reached through adversity and pain. The head, discrowned of
earthly glory, is crowned with celestial beauty. When sufferings
stimulate virtues, the thorn-wreath blossoms on our brow: when
sacrifices feed faith, the cross which we clasp puts on wings and
lifts us heavenward.

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