only acknowledges a
_little_ Drink; but, judging by what followed on that little Drink, I
wish he had simply acknowledged his Fault. He begs me to write: if I do
so, I must speak very plainly to him: that, with all his noble Qualities,
I doubt that I can never again have Confidence in his Promise to break
this one bad Habit, seeing that he has broken it so soon, when there was
no occasion or excuse: unless it were the thought of leaving his Wife so
ill at home. The Man is so beyond others, as I think, that I have come
to feel that I must not condemn him by general rule; nevertheless, if he
ask me, I can refer him to no other. I must send him back his own
written Promise of Sobriety, signed only a month before he broke it so
needlessly: and I must even tell him that I know not yet if he can be
left with the Mortgage as we settled it in May. . . .

"_P.S._--I enclose Posh's letter, and the answer I propose to give to it.
I am sure it makes me sad and ashamed to be setting up for Judge on a
much nobler Creature than myself. But I must consider this a case in
which the outbreak was worse than needless, and such as must almost
destroy any Confidence I can feel for the future. I can only excuse it
as a sort of Desperation at his Wife's Illness--strange way as he took of
improving the occasion. You see it was _not_ old Friends not seen for
some time, but one or two of the Crew he is always with.

"I had thought of returning him _his_ written Promise as worthless:
desiring back my Direction to my Heirs that he should keep on the lugger
in case of my Death. But I will wait for what you say about all this. I
am really sorry to trouble you over and over again with the matter. But
I am so fearful of blundering, where a Blunder may do so much harm. I
think that Posh ought to be made to feel this severely: and, as his Wife
is better, I do not mind making him feel it, if I can. On the other
hand, I do not wish to drive him, by Despair, into the very fault which I
have so tried to cure him of. Pray do consider, and write to me of this,
returning me the two Papers.

"His mother did not try to excuse him at all: his Father would not even
see him go off. She merely told me parenthetically, 'I tell him he seem
to do it when the Governor is here.'" {121}

"LOWESTOFT, _Saturday_, _Feb._ 25, 1871.
['Letters,' p. 331.]

". . . The two Hens travelled so comfortably, that, when let out of the
basket, they fed, and then fought