comes, but which never even begins to come. I
will, however, undergo a week of it,--say the last seven
days of this month, and shall trust to you to recompense
me by as much of yourself as your town doings will permit.

And now again as to those home affairs. If I say nothing
now I believe you will understand why I refrain. You
have cunningly just left me to imply, from what you say,
that all my arguments have been of no avail; but you do
not answer them, or even tell me that you have decided.
I shall therefore imply nothing, and still trust to my
personal eloquence for success. Or rather not trust,--not
trust, but hope.

The garden is going on very well. We are rather short of
water, and therefore not quite as bright as I had hoped;
but we are preparing with untiring industry for future
brightness. Your commands have been obeyed in all things,
and Morrison always says "The mistress didn't mean this,"
or "The mistress did intend that." God bless the mistress
is what I now say, and send her home, to her own home,
to her flowers, and her fruit, and her house, and her
husband, as soon as may be, with no more of these delays
which are to me so grievous, and which seem to me to be
so unnecessary. That is my prayer.

Yours ever and always,

J. G.

"I didn't give commands," Alice said to herself, as she sat with the
letter at her solitary breakfast-table. "He asked me how I liked the
things, and of course I was obliged to say. I was obliged to seem to
care, even if I didn't care." Such were her first thoughts as she put
the letter back into its envelope, after reading it the second time.
When she opened it, which she did quickly, not pausing a moment
lest she should suspect herself of fearing to see what might be
its contents, her mind was full of that rebuke which her aunt had
anticipated, and which she had almost taught herself to expect. She
had torn the letter open rapidly, and had dashed at its contents with
quick eyes. In half a moment she had seen what was the nature of the
reply respecting the proposed companion of her tour, and then she had
completed her reading slowly enough. "No; I gave no commands," she
repeated to herself, as though she might thereby absolve herself from
blame in reference to some possible future accusations, which might
perhaps be brought against her under certain circumstances which she
was contemplating.

Then