cabbage, grubbing in wet earth with leggings and gray coat on.
Then I tidied up the coach-house to my own and Christine's
admiration. Then encouraged by BOUTS-RIMES I wrote you a copy of
verses; high time I think; I shall just save my tenth year of
knowing my lady-love without inditing poetry or rhymes to her.

'Then I rummaged over the box with my father's letters and found
interesting notes from myself. One I should say my first letter,
which little Austin I should say would rejoice to see and shall see
- with a drawing of a cottage and a spirited "cob." What was more
to the purpose, I found with it a paste-cutter which Mary begged
humbly for Christine and I generously gave this morning.

'Then I read some of Congreve. There are admirable scenes in the
manner of Sheridan; all wit and no character, or rather one
character in a great variety of situations and scenes. I could
show you some scenes, but others are too coarse even for my stomach
hardened by a course of French novels.

'All things look so happy for the rain.

'NOV. 16. - Verbenas looking well. . . . I am but a poor creature
without you; I have naturally no spirit or fun or enterprise in me.
Only a kind of mechanical capacity for ascertaining whether two
really is half four, etc.; but when you are near me I can fancy
that I too shine, and vainly suppose it to be my proper light;
whereas by my extreme darkness when you are not by, it clearly can
only be by a reflected brilliance that I seem aught but dull. Then
for the moral part of me: if it were not for you and little Odden,
I should feel by no means sure that I had any affection power in