going to see him to-morrow.
He has a whole row for his family every night. Dolby rejoined his chief
yesterday morning, and will probably remain in the august presence until
Sunday night. He and Osgood, "training for the match," are ludicrous
beyond belief. I saw them just now coming up a street, each trying to
pass the other, and immediately fled. Since I have been writing this,
they have burst in at the door and sat down on the floor to blow. Dolby
is now writing at a neighbouring table, with his bald head smoking as if
he were on fire. Kelly (his great adherent) asked me, when he was last
away, whether it was quite fair that I should take Mr. Osgood out for
"breathers" when Mr. Dolby had no such advantage. I begin to expect that
half Boston will turn out on the 29th to see the match. In which case it
will be unspeakably droll.

[Sidenote: Miss Hogarth.]

WASHINGTON, _my Birthday_, 1868.
(_And my cold worse than ever._)

This will be but a short letter, as I have been to see the President
this morning, and have little time before the post goes. He had sent a
gentleman to me, most courteously begging me to make my own appointment,
and I did so. A man of very remarkable appearance indeed, of tremendous
firmness of purpose. Not to be turned or trifled with.

As I mention my cold's being so bad, I will add that I have never had
anything the matter with me since I came here _but_ the cold. It is now
in my throat, and slightly on my chest. It occasions me great
discomfort, and you would suppose, seeing me in the morning, that I
could not possibly read at night. But I have always come up to the
scratch, have not yet missed one night, and have gradually got used to
that. I had got much the better of it; but the dressing-room at the hall
here is singularly cold and draughty, and so I have slid back again.

The papers here having written about this being my birthday, the most
exquisite flowers came pouring in at breakfast time from all sorts of
people. The room is covered with them, made up into beautiful bouquets,
and arranged in all manner of green baskets. Probably I shall find
plenty more at the hall to-night. This is considered the dullest and
most apathetic place in America. _My_ audiences have been superb.

I mentioned the dog on the first night here. Next night I thought I
heard (in "Copperfield") a suddenly suppressed bark. It happened in this
wis