d Street, not without
sundry misgivings on my part that Lord Dacre would feel that we
persecute him, that he might be busy and not like being interrupted,
etc. When the door was opened, however, and while we were still
interrogating the footman, his own dear lordship came to it, and
graciously bade me alight, which of course I gladly did, and so we sat
with him a matter of half an hour, hearing his discourse, which ran at
first on you and the dear girls [his granddaughters], and then
broadened gradually from private interests to his public experience,
and all the varied observation of his honorable political career. "I
could have stayed all night to have heard good counsel," but was obliged
to drive to the theatre to fetch my sister from rehearsal, and so, most
reluctantly, came away. It seemed to me very good, and amiable, and
humane, and condescending of Lord Dacre to spare so much of his time and
attention to us young and insignificant folk; the courtesy of his
reception was as deeply appreciated by me, I assure you, as the interest
of his conversation; and so tell my lord, with my best of courtesies.

I went in the evening to hear my sister sing "Norma" for the last time,
and cried most bitterly, and, moreover, thought exceedingly often of
your ladyship; and why? I'll tell you; it was the _last_ time she was to
do it, and when I saw that grace and beauty and rare union of gifts,
which were adapted to no other purpose half so well as to this of
dramatic representation; when I heard the voice of popular applause,
that utterance of human sympathy, break at once simultaneously from all
those human beings whose emotions she was swaying at her absolute
will,--my heart sank to think that this beautiful piece of art (for such
it now is, and very near perfection), would be seen no more; that this
rare power (a _talent_, as it verily then seemed to me, in the solemn
sense of the word, and a precious one of its own kind) was about to be
folded in a napkin, to bear interest no more, of profit or pleasure, to
herself or others.

My dear Granny, you will well understand how I came to think of you
during that performance; for the first time, I thought _like_ you on
this subject. I caught myself saying, while the tears streamed down my
face, "If she is only happy, after all!" (But oh, that _if_!) It seemed
amazing to abdicate a secure fortune, and such a power--power to do
anything so excellently (putting its recognition by the pu