ken to the
theatre and on picnics.

For Eleanor, or "Nelly," who grew into a great beauty, Washington showed
the utmost tenderness, and on occasion interfered to save her from her
grandmother, who at moments was inclined to be severe, in one case to
bring the storm upon himself. For her was bought a "Forte piano,"
and later, at the cost of a thousand dollars, a very fine imported
harpsichord, and one of Washington's great pleasures was to have her play
and sing to him. His ledger constantly shows gifts to her ranging from
"The Wayworn traveller, a song for Miss Custis," to "a pr. of gold
eardrops" and a watch. The two corresponded. One letter from Washington
merits quotation:

[Illustration: ELLANOR (NELLY) CUSTIS]

"Let me touch a little now on your Georgetown ball, and happy, thrice
happy, for the fair who assembled on the occasion, that there was a man to
spare; for had there been 79 ladies and only 78 gentlemen, there might, in
the course of the evening have been some disorder among the caps;
notwithstanding the apathy which _one_ of the company entertains for the
'_youth_' of the present day, and her determination 'Never to give herself
a moment's uneasiness on account of any of them.' A hint here; men and
women feel the same inclinations towards each other _now_ that they always
have done, and which they will continue to do until there is a new order
of things, and _you_, as others have done, may find, perhaps, that the
passions of your sex are easier raised than allayed. Do not therefore
boast too soon or too strongly of your insensibility to, or resistance of,
its powers. In the composition of the human frame there is a good deal of
inflammable matter, however dormant it may lie for a time, and like an
intimate acquaintance of yours, when the torch is put to it, _that_ which
is _within you_ may burst into a blaze; for which reason and especially
too, as I have entered upon the chapter of advices, I will read you a
lecture from this text."

Not long after this was written, Nelly, as already
mentioned, was married at Mount Vernon to Washington's
nephew, Lawrence Lewis, and in time became
joint-owner with her husband of part of that
place.

As early as 1785 a tutor was wanted for "little Washington," as the lad
was called, and Washington wrote to England to ask if some "worthy man of
the cloth could not be obtained," "for the boy is a remarkably fine one,
and my intention is to give him a liberal education