freely. It must have been a pleasant visitor in the four or five
households which it has entered. We have had Dr. Kane's book and now
have the 'Japan Expedition.'

"The intellectual suffering will, I think, be all. I have no fear of
scarcity of provisions or fuel. There are old houses enough to burn.
Fresh meat is rather scarce because the English steamer required so much
victualling. We have a barrel of pork and a barrel of flour in the
house, and father has chickens enough to keep us a good while.

"There are said to be some families who are in a good deal of suffering,
for whom the Howard Society is on the lookout. Mother gives very freely
to Bridget, who has four children to support with only the labor of her
hands.

"The Coffin School has been suspended one day on account of the heaviest
storm, and the Unitarian church has had but one service. No great damage
has been done by the gales. My observing-seat came thundering down the
roof one evening, about ten o'clock, but all the world understood its
cry of 'Stand from under,' and no one was hurt. Several windows were
blown in at midnight, and houses shook so that vases fell from the
mantelpieces.

"The last snow drifted so that the sleighing was difficult, and at
present the storm is so smothering that few are out. A. has been out to
school every day, and I have not failed to go out into the air once a
day to take a short walk.

"January 24. We left the mercury one below zero when we went to bed last
night, and it was at zero when we rose this morning. But it rises