with
joy, we took out the letter. Not very clean was its appearance, and not
over correct or well-spelt was its address; and, above all, a yellow,
dingy wafer filled up the place of the green wax we had expected, and
the true lover's motto, "Though lost to sight, to memory dear," was
supplied by the impression of a thimble. We opened it. Horror and
amazement! never was such penmanship beheld. The lines were complete
exemplifications of the line of beauty, so far as their waving, and
twisting, and twining was concerned; and the orthography it was past
all human comprehension to understand.

"My deerest deere, dear sur,"--this was the letter,--"i kim him more nor
a wic agon, butt i cuddunt right yu afore ass i av bin with muther an
asnt seed father till 2 day. he sais as my fortin is 3 hundurd pouns,
he sais as he recomminds me tu take mi hold lover Mister Tomas the
gaurdnar, he sais as yu caunt mary no boddi, accause you must be a
batseller three ears. if thiss be troo i am candied enuff to tell you
ass i caunt wate so long my deerast deer, o yu ave brock mi art! wy did
yu sai al ass yu sad iff yu cud unt mary nor none of the scolards at
hocksfoot Kolidge. father sais as ther iss sum misstake praps yu did unt
no ass mother is not marid 2 father butt is marrid to the catchmun and
father is marad to a veri gud ladi ass gove me a gud edocasion. mi
deerest deere it brakes my art all from yu for tu part, i rot them lines
this marnin. mister tomas sais as i gov im mi prumass befor i cum to ave
the apiness of see yu. butt i dant thinc i giv mor promass to him. nor
2 manni uthers. mi deerest deer and troo luv cuppid! i feer our nutshell
song is blitid and its ros kwencht in its blum. them was plesent ours
when the carnashuns and tullups was all in blo, wasunt them mi deer luv.
mister tomas sais ass he can mari me in a munth and father sais i hot tu
take im. iff so be as yu caun't du it beefor i thinc i shal take im ass
father sais there is sum mistake, mi deerest deere mi art is brock butt
i thinc i shall take im iff so bee as I dant ear frum yu. gud nite my
troo luv i shal kip your lockat for a kipsic an yu ma kiss my luck off
air for the sack of your brockan arted

"GRIZEL."

It is astonishing how the perusal of this cured us of our affection.
At the first line we recollected that she had a tendency to squint,
and long before we came to the conclusion, we remembered that her
ancles were rather thick, and her feet by no mean