Monday, Wharton.

DEAREST EMILY,--

I wonder whether you will be much surprised at the news
I have to tell you. You cannot be more so than I am at
having to write it. It has all been so very sudden that
I almost feel ashamed of myself. Everett has proposed
to me, and I have accepted him. There;--now you know it
all. Though you never can know how very dearly I love him
and how thoroughly I admire him. I do think that he is
everything that a man ought to be, and that I am the most
fortunate young woman in the world. Only isn't it odd
that I should always have to live all my life in the same
house, and never change my name,--just like a man, or an
old maid? But I don't mind that because I do love him so
dearly and because he is so good. I hope he will write
to you and tell you that he likes me. He has written to
Mr. Wharton, I know. I was sitting by him and his letter
didn't take him a minute. But he says that long letters
about such things only give trouble. I hope you won't
think my letter troublesome. He is not sitting by me now
but has gone over to Longbarns to help to settle about
the hounds. John is going to have them after all. I wish
it hadn't happened just at this time because all the
gentlemen do think so much about it. Of course Everett is
one of the committee.

Papa and mamma are both very, very glad of it. Of course
it is nice for them as it will keep Everett and me here.
If I had married anybody else,--though I am sure I never
should,--she would have been very lonely. And of course
papa likes to think that Everett is already one of us.
I hope they never will quarrel about politics; but, as
Everett says, the world does change as it goes on, and
young men and old men never will think quite the same
about things. Everett told papa the other day that if he
could be put back a century he would be a Radical. Then
there were ever so many words. But Everett always laughs,
and at last papa comes round.

I can't tell you, my dear, what a fuss we are in already
about it all. Everett wants to have our marriage early in
May, so that we may have two months in Switzerland before
London is what he calls turned loose. And papa says that
there is no use in delaying, because he gets older every
day. Of course that is true of everybody. So that we are
all in a flutter about getting things