have gone well, and he would have been alive now.'"

Albert, who could not see the justice of the comparison, offered
some further objections, and, amongst others, urged that I had
taken the case of a mere ignorant girl. But how any man of sense,
of more enlarged views and experience, could be excused, he was
unable to comprehend. "My friend!" I exclaimed, "man is but man;
and, whatever be the extent of his reasoning powers, they are of
little avail when passion rages within, and he feels himself
confined by the narrow limits of nature. It were better, then --
but we will talk of this some other time," I said, and caught up
my hat. Alas! my heart was full; and we parted without conviction
on either side. How rarely in this world do men understand each
other!

AUGUST 15.

There can be no doubt that in this world nothing is so indispensable
as love. I observe that Charlotte could not lose me without a
pang, and the very children have but one wish; that is, that I
should visit them again to-morrow. I went this afternoon to tune
Charlotte's piano. But I could not do it, for the little ones
insisted on my telling them a story; and Charlotte herself urged
me to satisfy them. I waited upon them at tea, and they are now
as fully contented with me as with Charlotte; and I told them my
very best tale of the princess who was waited upon by dwarfs.
I improve myself by this exercise, and am quite surprised at the
impression my stories create. If I sometimes invent an incident
which I forget upon the next narration, they remind one directly
that the story was different before; so that I now endeavour to