lights! how many
pleasant hours I have passed in you, armed with scissors, knife, hoe,
or rake, only pausing when Mr. This or Mr. That leaned over the fence
to have a talk!--last spring, that was; ever so many are dead now, for
all I know, and all off at the war. Now I work for the edification of
proper young women, who look in astonishment at me, as they would
consider themselves degraded by the pursuit. A delicate pair of hands
my flower mania will leave me!

Then I hear Dellie's and Morgan's lessons, after which I open my desk
and am lost in the mysteries of Arithmetic, Geography, Blair's
Lectures, Noel et Chapsal, Ollendorff, and reading aloud in French and
English, besides writing occasionally in each, and sometimes a peep at
Lavoisne, until very nearly dinner. The day is not half long enough for
me. Many things I would like to study I am forced to give up, for want
of leisure to devote to them. But one of these days, I will make up for
present deficiencies. I study only what I absolutely love, now; but
then, if I can, I will study what I am at present ignorant of, and
cultivate a taste for something new.

The few moments before dinner, and all the time after, I devote to
writing, sewing, knitting, etc., and if I included darning, repairs,
alterations, etc., my list would be tremendous, for I get through with
a great deal of sewing. Somewhere in the day, I find half an hour, or
more, to spend at the piano. Before sunset I dress, and am free to
spend the evening at home, or else walk to Mrs. Brunot's, for it is not
safe to go farther than those three squares, away from home. From early
twilight until supper, Miriam and I sing with the guitar, generally,
and after, sit comfortably under the chandelier and read until about
ten. What little reading I do, is almost exclusively done at that time.
It sounds woefully little, but my list of books grows to quite a
respectable size, in the course of a year.

At ten comes my Bible class for the servants. Lucy, Rose, Nancy, and
Dophy assemble in my room, and hear me read the Bible, or stories from
the Bible for a while. Then one by one say their prayers--they cannot
be persuaded to say them together; Dophy says "she can't say with Rose,
'cause she ain't got no brothers and sisters to pray for," and Lucy has
no father or mother, and so they go. All difficulties and grievances
during the day are laid before me, and I sit like Moses judging the
children of Israel, until I can a