Paris, May 29.
My Dear Mother & Sister:
I have just finished my day’s work, & written (MS) page 2041. So I am getting along. If they don’t call me to dinner too quickly I’ll get this brief letter written to you.
I found out what the trouble was, 2 weeks ago—it was the horrible racket & thunder of the streets;
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torture. Livy & I moved to the quiet side of the house, & had a long, sound, refreshing sleep th—so we located there permanently, & I moved my work-room to the same side. We are both strong & well, now. The book will be published in the fall.
Sam comes in every night, & we have a vast love & admiration of him. Livy can’t make [3 or 4 words canceled and then cut away] but I
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Sam spends all his time in the Herald reading rooms, but we don’t [grumble] at that; he has a level head & can be trusted to know what is best for himself; & he has a purpose: a cleanly-defined purpose is sheet-anchor, main-stay, everything. A boy who has that, is all right.
I am glad you are getting around again,
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still burn fires—I am miserably tired of it. But the children are booming—the climate suits them exactly.It is funny to see them Excommunicating Orion—they’d better have saved themselves the trouble & Mollie the distreess—he’ll be a deacon in that same church next year—& a deacon in some other church a year after. I judge Orion wrote a pretty good lecture. I knew he could write a good one if he stu was able to stick to his subject—but I feared he would change his religion 7 times before he got through, & of course that would mix the argument too much. But he’d better look out how he prances around with that lecture,—some of the godly will hang him. However, I wish him better luck than that.
I read Charley Webster’s lecture with a lively interest—it was a right down good talk.
We are all hearty & cheerful, now. This book has been a long, tough job, but I see daylight ahead, now, & that makes me good humored.
We all send love to all the household. We are to arrive at Condover Hall, Mr. Cholmondeley’s country seat, in England, July 28, to stay a week—so we probably leave Paris a week earlier & loaf through Holland.
Yrs
Sam.
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