Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: I had almost forgotten to say that the interesting, beautiful, agreeable nondescript, who accompanied me half-way here, called five or six weeks since, ostensibly to see me, but really to get a few days' board and lodging gratis — an exploit for which lie is eminently qualified by nature and art. He said he was on his way to Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi; but would return and attend me home if I would remain till April. Eeally, were I ever so much at a loss for a compagnon du voyage, I should hardly be over hasty in committing my precious self to the care of his worshipful authorship! Please tender my compliments, and the sight of this valuable evidence that theory does sometimes accord with practice — to such of your family as feel interested in either; and accept for yourself much love and many, many thanks for your unremitting kindness to the isolated orphan. Louise. LETTER IV. LIGHT AND SHADE. TO A LADY IN VIRGINIA. N. Y., Sept. My Dear Madam: Your kind favor, scrawled all over with post-marks and re-directions, has come to hand at last; and you cannot think how delighted I am that your interest in the erratic wanderer has survived so many months of separation. You ask, my dear friend, "Did you revisit yonr home ?" No, I did not; there is little there that I wish to behold—there is much that I desire not to look upon! The print of stranger footsteps now is in My childhood's haunts ! Dull, cold voices too Are on the summer air, once thrilling through Those halls to tones of mirth, or fond affection. And, oh, they fall like discord on a heart, That was, an instrument attuned at first To sweetest harmony; but made so soon, And often, to respond to one rnde touch, That it can breathe, oh never, never more In music as 'twas wont; but ever And anon,...