several times, until she had fully comprehended its
subtleties of thought, and stored them away in her retentive memory for
future use. During that year, I never knew her to read a work of
fiction; but philosophy or science formed her daily nourishment; whilst
brother, whenever he had a free evening, read aloud to Mary and I from
Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, sweetened now and then
with a selection from Lord Byron or Mrs. Hemans--the two poets that at
that time he preferred.

"But although your Aunt Mary had such severe literary tastes, she was
by no means gloomy in her disposition, as you might perhaps infer.
Your uncle being at that time editor of a weekly journal, he was
comparatively a man of leisure, and he and Mary went frequently to the
theatre, and to hear lectures--a source of great enjoyment to both of
them. They also mingled considerably in general society, for Mary was
then very fond of dancing, although there was rarely or never any at
her Friday evenings, for literary people then, as now, eschewed the
goddess Terpsichore.

"I told you that I arrived in New York upon brother's reception-night.
Those Friday evenings wore a great source of pleasure to me,
introducing me as they did to the literary coterie of the metropolis.
Nearly all the men and women of note at that time met in our parlors on
Greenwich Street, and many of them were regular or occasional
contributors to brother's journal. Among the names that I can recall,
were Gen. Morris, then editing the _New York Mirror_; the two Clark
brothers, editors of the _Knickerbocker_, one of whom, Willis Gaylord
Clark, was at that time writing his clever 'Ollapodiana;' Fitz-Greene
Halleck, the poet; George M. Snow, who later in life became financial
editor of _The Tribune_, and is now deceased; Professor A. C. Kendrick,
of Hamilton College, the translator of Schiller's 'Victor's Triumph,'
which subsequently appeared in _The New Yorker_, and which, you will
remember, your uncle has occasionally read for us at our own Tuesday
evening receptions; Mrs. O. M. Sawyer, the accomplished wife of
brother's pastor, then making her _debut_ in the literary world with
poems and occasional translations from the German; Elizabeth Jessup
Eames, who was writing stories and poems for _The New Yorker_, under
the signature of 'Stella;' Mrs. E. F. Ellet, in 1836 a handsome young
bride, who had come up from the South, and was contributing
translations from the Fr