courtesy led them to help those whose labors were hard, to aid the women
in the laundry at their tasks, and to assist them in hanging out the
clothes on washing-days. In the evening the clothes-pins which had been
thrust into a pocket found their way to the floor of the dancing-room.

One of the members of the community has written that the brothers "looked
like young Greek gods. Burrill, the elder, with a typical Greek face and
long hair falling to his shoulders in irregular curls," she says, "I
remember as most unconscious of himself, interested in all about him,
talking of the Greek philosophers as if he had just come from one of
Socrates' walks, carrying the high philosophy into his daily life, helping
the young people with hard arithmetic lessons, trimming the lamps daily at
the Eyrie, where the two brothers came to live (my sister saw George
assisting him one day, and occasionally, she says, he turned his face with
a disgusted expression, trying to puff away the disagreeable odor), never
losing control of himself, with the kindest manner to every person. He and
George seemed very companionable and fond of each other.

"George, though only eighteen, seemed much older, like a man of
twenty-five, possibly, with a peculiar elegance, if I may so express it;
great and admirable attention, as I recollect, when listening to any one;
courteous recognition of others' convictions and even prejudices; and
never a personal animosity of any kind--a certain remoteness of manner,
however, that I think prevented persons from becoming acquainted with him
as easily as with Burrill."

In his "Memories of Brook Farm," Dr. John T. Codman mentions the
occasional returns of Curtis to the Farm after he had left it, and says
he heard him singing the "Erl King," "Kathleen Mavourneen," and "Good-night
to Julia" "in his inimitable manner." Everything goes to indicate that