spring of good breeding,
and be a thoroughly good, religious, unselfish, right-minded girl;
otherwise we should have to rue our scheme. In spite of all you
would do towards moulding and training a young maiden, there will be
so many distractions and unavoidable counter-influences that the
experiment would be too hazardous, unless there were a character and
manners ready formed. There ought likewise to be cultivation and
intelligence to profit by the opportunities she will have. I should
not like Greece and Italy, to say nothing of Egypt and Palestine, to
be only so much gape seed. You must have an eye likewise to good
temper, equal to cope with the various emergencies of travelling.
N.B. You should have more than one in your eye, for probably the
first choice will be of some one too precious to be attainable.--
Your affectionate brother,

EDWARD FULFORD.

MISS FULFORD TO SIR EDWARD FULFORD
1 SHINGLE COTTAGES, NEW COVE, S. CLEMENTS, 30TH JUNE.

My Dear Edward,--When Sydney Smith led Perfection to the Pea because
the Pea would not come to Perfection, he could hardly have had such
an ideal as yours. Your intended niece is much like the 'not
impossible she' of a youth under twenty. One comfort is that such
is the blindness of your kind that you will imagine all these charms
in whatever good, ladylike, simple-hearted girl I pitch upon, and
such I am sure I shall find all my nieces. The only difficulty will
be in deciding, and that will be fixed by details of style, and the
parents' willingness to spare their child.

This is an excellent plan of yours for bringing the whole family
together round our dear old mother and her home daughter. This is
the end house of three on a little promontory, and has a charming
view--of the sea in the first place, and then on the one side of
what is called by courtesy the parade, on the top of the sea wall
where there is a broad walk leading to S. Clements, nearly two miles
off. There are not above a dozen houses altogether, and the hotel
is taken for the two families from London and Oxford, while the
Druces are to be in the house but one next to us, the middle one
being unluckily let off to various inhabitants. We have one bedroom
free where we may lodge some of the overflowings, and I believe the
whole party are to take their chief meals together in the large room
at the hotel. The houses are mostly scattered, being such as
fortunate skippers build as an investment, and