----, do the same? I am sure your affection
for me will prompt you to add, that you feel confident whatever I
have done has been in a good spirit, and not contrary to _my_ ideas
of right. For the rest, you will not admit for me,--as I do not for
myself,--the rights of the social inquisition of the United States to
know all the details of my affairs. If my mother is content; if Ossoli
and I are content; if our child, when grown up, shall be content; that
is enough. You and I know enough of the United States to be sure that
many persons there will blame whatever is peculiar. The lower-minded
persons, everywhere, are sure to think that whatever is mysterious
must be bad. But I think there will remain for me a sufficient number
of friends to keep my heart warm, and to help me earn my bread;--that
is all that is of any consequence. Ossoli seems to me more lovely and
good every day; our darling child is well now, and every day more gay
and playful. For his sake I shall have courage; and hope some good
angel will show us the way out of our external difficulties.

TO W.W.S.

It was like you to receive with such kindness the news of my marriage.
A less generous person would have been displeased, that, when we had
been drawn so together,--when we had talked so freely, and you had
shown towards me such sweet friendship,--I had not told you. Often did
I long to do so, but I had, for reasons that seemed important, made
a law to myself to keep this secret as rigidly as possible, up to a
certain moment. That moment came. Its decisions were not such as I had
hoped; but it left me, at least, without that painful burden, which
I trust never to bear again. Nature keeps so many secrets, that I
had supposed the moral writers exaggerated the dangers and plagues of
keeping them; but they cannot exaggerate. All that can be said about
mine is, that I at least acted out, with, to me, tragic thoroughness,
"The wonder, a woman keeps a secret." As to my not telling _you_, I
can merely say, that I was keeping the information from my family and
dearest friends at home; and, had you remained near me a very little
later, you would have been the very first person to whom I should have
spoken, as you would have been the first, on this side of the water,
to whom I should have written, had I known where to address you. Yet
I hardly hoped for your sympathy, dear W----. I am very glad if I
have it. May brotherly love ever be returned unto you in lik