100
old grandmother at Eynsham (��a blooming lassie�
Sam calls her;)  and Sara Rogers � la belle Sara �
is a governess in consequence of �her own wish to
leave a not over happy home.� �We expect her
up� writes Sam, �at Christmas, from near
Portsmouth.  She has often asked after you, and
desires to be kindly remembered &c &c.�   Anon
Sam declares he�s �quite sick of Edwin and Char-
ley� because they don�t get married.     He wouldn�t
wait for them if he were the gals � �sticking at
home with salaries!�    Furthermore he talks
of skating � of his disappointment last winter, and
his hopes of the coming one; of the �hard up-hill
struggle� he has made in life; of the preacher
Spurgeon; of a man who borrowed money of him,
(and whom he warns me against, as the individual
will probably come to New York.)  &c.     Alto-
gether a letter to set one thinking, gravely and
apprehensively of the future of those two grown
children.  Heaven send �em not many hard expe-
riences of this hard world.   Right little they know
about it.       I like Sam.      I think of him with
a great deal of tenderness.
  27.  Thursday.  Down town.      Bellew
came at night, and Colonel Forbes � who spake
of securing my services on the European, a newly
started paper.              Went home with Bellew, and
stayed till 11.