fulness and vigor, which, combined with
the absence of imagination and nervous excitability, contributed much to
her uniform cheerfulness, courage, and placidity of temper; but her
self-forgetfulness was most uncommon, her inexhaustible kindliness and
devotedness to every creature that came within her comfortable and
consolatory influence was "twice-blessed," and from her grave her lovely
virtues seemed to call to me to get up and be of good cheer, and strive
to forget myself, even as perfectly as she had done.... How bitter and
dark a thing life is to some of God's poor creatures!

I have told you now all I have to tell of myself, and being weary in
spirit and in body, will bid you farewell, and go and try to get some
sleep. God bless you, my beloved friend; I am very sad, but far from out
of courage. Give dear Dorothy my affectionate love.

I am ever yours,
FANNY.

PHILADELPHIA, Tuesday, 30th, 1843.
MY DEAR F----,

We are all established in a boarding-house here, where my acquaintances
assure me that I am very comfortable; and so I endeavor to persuade
myself that my acquaintances are better judges of that than I am myself.
It is the first time in my life that I have ever lived in any such
manner or establishment; so I have no means of trying it by comparison;
it is simply detestable to me, but compared with _more_ detestable
places of the same sort it is probably _less_ so. "There are
differences, look you!" ...

I am sure your family deserve to have a temple erected to them by all
foreigners in America; for it seems to me that you and your people are
home, country, and friends to all such unfortunates as happen to have
left those small items of satisfaction behind them. The stranger's
blessing should rest on your dwellings, and one stranger's grateful
blessing does rest there....

Believe me, yours most truly,
F. A. B.

_Please to observe_ that the charge of 13_s._ 8_d._ is for personal
advice, conferences, and tiresome morning visits; and if you make any
such charge, I shall expect you to earn it. 6_s._ 4_d._ is all you are
entitled to for anything but personal communication.

[This postscript, and the beginning of the letter, were jesting
references to a lawyer's bill, am