e: Osgood, standing just within the door, felt his leg touched, and
looking down beheld the dog staring intently at me, and evidently just
about to bark. In a transport of presence of mind and fury, he instantly
caught him up in both hands and threw him over his own head out into the
entry, where the check-takers received him like a game at ball. Last
night he came again _with another dog_; but our people were so sharply
on the look-out for him that he didn't get in. He had evidently promised
to pass the other dog free.

[Sidenote: Miss Dickens.]

BALTIMORE, U.S., _Tuesday, Feb. 11th, 1868._

The weather has been desperately severe, and my cold quite as bad as
ever. I couldn't help laughing at myself on my birthday at Washington.
It was observed as much as though I were a little boy. Flowers and
garlands (of the most exquisite kind) bloomed all over the room; letters
radiant with good wishes poured in; a shirt pin, a handsome silver
travelling bottle, a set of gold shirt studs, and a set of gold sleeve
links were on the dinner-table. After "Boots," at night, the whole
audience rose and remained (Secretaries of State, President's family,
Judges of Supreme Court, and so forth) standing and cheering until I
went back to the table and made them a little speech. On the same
august day of the year I was received by the President, a man with a
very remarkable and determined face. Each of us looked at each other
very hard, and each of us managed the interview (I think) to the
satisfaction of the other. In the outer room was sitting a certain
sunburnt General Blair, with many evidences of the war upon him. He got
up to shake hands with me, and then I found he had been out in the
prairie with me five-and-twenty years ago. That afternoon my "catarrh"
was in such a state that Charles Sumner, coming in at five o'clock and
finding me covered with mustard poultice, and apparently voiceless,
turned to Dolby and said: "Surely, Mr. Dolby, it is impossible that he
can read to-night." Says Dolby: "Sir, I have told the dear Chief so four
times to-day, and I have been very anxious. But you have no idea how he
will change when he gets to the little table." After five minutes of the
little table, I was not (for the time) even hoarse. The frequent
experience of this return of force when it is wanted saves me a vast
amount of anxiety.

I wish you would get from Homan and report to me, as near as he can
make, an ap