arity of
intellect. Her deafness is a serious bar to her enjoyment of society,
and some drawback to the pleasure of conversing with her, for, as a man
observed to me last night, "One feels so like a fool, saying, 'How do
you do?' through a speaking-trumpet in the middle of a drawing-room;"
and unshoutable commonplaces form the staple of all drawing-room
conversation. They are giving literary parties to her, and balls to one
of their own townswomen who has just returned from abroad, which makes
Philadelphia rather gayer than usual; and I have had so long a fast from
dissipation that I find myself quite excited at the idea of going to a
dance again.

I toil on, copying my Journal, and one volume of it is already printed;
but now that the object of its publication is gone, I feel rather
disgusted at the idea of publishing it at all. You know what my Journal
always was, and that no word of it was ever written with the fear of the
printer's devil before my eyes, and now that I have become careless as
to its money value, it seems to me a mere mass of trivial egotism....
When I sold it, it was an excellent, good book, for I thought it would
help to make a small independence for my dear Dall; now she is gone, and
it is mere trash, but I have sold it....

My country life will, I hope, be one of study, and I pray and believe,
of quiet happiness. I drove out to the farm yesterday, and walked nearly
four miles, through meadows and lanes and by-roads, and over plowed
fields, and found mill-streams and bits of picturesque rock, and pretty
paths to be explored at further length on horseback hereafter.... I have
one very great pleasure almost in contemplation; I think it probable
that my friend, Miss Sedgwick, will visit Philadelphia this winter. If
she does, I am sure she will remain a short time here, which will be a
great delight to me.... I wish to have no more _acquaintance_--that is a
pure waste of time: I do not wish to know any one whom, if opportunity
served, I should not desire to make my friend, as well as my visitor. I
have begun learning book-keeping by double entry, and find it
unspeakably tiresome; indeed, nothing in it engages my attention but
various hypothetical cases of Loss of Ships and Cargoes (as per invoice,
so and so, and so and so); Bankruptcies, with so much in the pound for
creditors; Dissolutions of partnership, with estimates of joint
property, or calculations of profit and loss; Insurances and
fire-catas