;
and as they have approved it, I have no right to think of them in
opposition to you. And you must not suppose that they ask me to
stay. On the contrary, mamma is always telling me that early
marriages are best. She has sent all the birds out of the nest but
one; and is impatient to see that one fly away, that she may be sure
that there is no lame one in the brood. You must not therefore think
that it is mamma; nor is it papa, as regards himself--though papa
agrees with me in thinking that we ought to wait a little.

Dear Harry, you must not be angry, but I am sure that we ought to
wait. We are, both of us, young, and why should we be in a hurry? I
know what you will say, and of course I love you the more because
you love me so well; but I fancy that I can be quite happy if I can
see you two or three times in the year, and hear from you
constantly.

It is so good of you to write such nice letters, and the longer they
are the better I like them. Whatever you put in them, I like them to
be full. I know I can't write nice letters myself, and it makes me
unhappy. Unless I have got something special to say, I am dumb.

But now I have something special to say. In spite of all that you
tell me about Cecilia, I do not think it would do for us to venture
upon marrying yet. I know that you are willing to sacrifice
everything, but I ought not on that account to accept a sacrifice. I
could not bear to see you poor and uncomfortable; and we should be
very poor in London now-a-days with such an income as we should
have. If we were going to live here at Stratton, perhaps we might
manage; but I feel sure that it would be imprudent in London. You
ought not to be angry with me for saying this, for I am quite as
anxious to be with you as you can possibly be to be with me; only, I
can bear to look forward, and have a pleasure in feeling that all my
happiness is to come. I know I am right in this. Do write me one
little line to say that you are not angry with your little girl.

I shall be quite ready for you by the 29th. I got such a dear little
note from Fanny the other day. She says that you never write to
them, and she supposes that I have the advantage of all your energy
in that way. I have told her that I do get a good deal. My brother
writes to me very seldom, I know; and I get twenty lett