And the third was ardent and tender expressions of affection for the wife
and children he adored. These effusions of the heart had no separate
place, except in my somewhat arbitrary analysis of the honest sailor's
letter; they were the under current. Mrs. Dodd read part of it out to
Julia; in fact all but the money matter: that concerned the heads of the
family more immediately; and Cash was a topic her daughter did not
understand, nor care about. And when Mrs. Dodd had read it with
glistening eyes, she kissed it tenderly, and read it all over again to
herself, and then put it into her bosom as naively as a milkmaid in love.

Edward's letter was short enough, and Mrs. Dodd allowed Julia to read it
to her, which she did with panting breath, and glowing cheeks, and a
running fire of comments.

"'Dear Mamma, I hope you and Ju are quite well----'"

"Ju," murmured Mrs. Dodd plaintively.

"'And that there is good news about papa coming home. As for me, I have
plenty on my hands just now; all this term I have been ('training'
scratched out, and another word put in: C -- R -- oh, I know)
'cramming.'"

"'Cramming,' love?"

"Yes, that is the Oxfordish for studying."

"'--For smalls.'"

Mrs. Dodd contrived to sigh interrogatively. Julia, who understood her