ssuredly in this case
"the evidence of things not seen"--its precarious growth and doubtful
development.

One of these gentlemen horticulturists interested me extremely by his
own fervent enthusiasm about his plants. He showed me two
perishing-looking miserable dried-up _twigs_, and said, "Those are the
only specimens of their kind in the kingdom. They come from Chili, and
when healthy bear a splendid blossom as large as a tulip. These are just
between life and death: I fear we may kill them with kindness, we are so
anxious about them." He told me they had a flower-hunter out in South
America, and another in India. And now I must go to bed, because it is
twelve o'clock.

I brought home some heavenly flowers from these earthly paradises, and
then went and spent the rest of my afternoon in the cathedral--a
beautiful old building, of various dates and architecture, the whole
effect of which is extremely picturesque and striking.

Good-night, my dear.

I am ever yours,
FANNY.

ORCHARD STREET, Tuesday, August 24th.

Rachel has been acting at Manchester, to houses of _sixty_ pounds (her
nightly salary being _one hundred and twenty_), and this because Jenny
Lind is going there. I must confess I have no patience with this--as if
the rich Manchester merchants could not afford to treat themselves to
both! Rachel is really pre-eminent in her art, and so this provokes
me.... I dined with the Miss Berrys at Richmond on Wednesday, and met
dear old Lady Charlotte Lindsay, who inquired as usual most
affectionately after you. Mrs. Dawson Damer dined there, too, and said
she remembered being as a very young girl at Wroxton Abbey (Lord
Guildford's), and seeing you there a very young girl too.

I began this letter two days ago, and am in all the full wretchedness of
packing up. I set off to-morrow for Mrs. Mitchell's, where I hope to be
on Thursday afternoon. I shall reach York to-morrow, at three o'clock,
and intend sleeping there, of which I have written to apprise Dorothy,
as I hope to see her for an hour or two in the evening.

I am obliged to give up my Norwich engagement, which I am very sorry
for; but the fast and loose style of the correspondence about it makes
it impossible to fix any time for going there. The manager first asked
me to go there in August, but now, because Jenny Lind is going t