and the profound and sublime aspirations which the
external beauty of the world suggests, draw and rivet our mind and
soul to its contemplation, and produce a sort of awful sense of
companionship with the Unseen, which cannot, I think, be an
experience of early youth. For then the volatile, vivid, and
various spirit, with its sympathizing and communicative tendency,
has a strong propensity to spend itself on that which can return
its value in like commodity; and exchange of thought and feeling is
a preponderating desire and necessity, and human fellowship and
intercourse is naturally attractive to unworn and unwearied human
nature. I suppose the consolatory element in the beautiful
_un_human world in which we live is not often fully appreciated by
the young, they want comparatively so little of it; youth is itself
so thoroughly its own consoler. Some years hence, I dare say A----
will love both the sea and sky better than she does now. To a
certain degree, too, the love of solitude, which generally
accompanies a deep love for nature, is a kind of selfishness that
does not often exist in early life.

I am desired to close this letter immediately; I have therefore
only time to add that I act Calista to-night here, Mrs. Haller
to-morrow at Brighton, and Saturday, also there, Lady Townley. On
Monday I act Juliet here, and on Wednesday Bianca in "Fazio"--when
pray for me! Now you know where to think of me. I will write to you
a _real_ letter on Sunday.

Kiss A---- for me, and do not be unhappy, my dear, for you will
soon see me again; and in the meantime I advise you, as you think
my picture so much more agreeable than myself, to console yourself
with that. Good-by.

Your affectionate
FANNY.

The fascination of sitting by a brook and watching the lapsing water,
or, on the sands, the oncoming, uprising, breaking, and melting away of
the white wave-crests, is, I suppose, matter of universal experience. I
do not know whether watching fire has the same irresistible attraction
for everybody. It has almost a stronger charm for me; and the hours I
have spent sitting on the rug in front of my grate, and watching the
wonderful creature sparkling and glowing there, have been almost more
than I dare remember. I