第3章

There’ssomethingaboutthoseBrontesthatfascinatesme。 Theirbooks，theirlives，theirspirit。Wheredidtheygetit？ WhenIwasreadingaboutlittleJane’stroublesinthecharityschool，IgotsoangrythatIhadtogooutandtakeawalk。 Iunderstoodexactlyhowshefelt。HavingknownMrs。Lippett，IcouldseeMr。Brocklehurst。 Don’tbeoutraged，Daddy。IamnotintimatingthattheJohnGrierHomewasliketheLowoodInstitute。Wehadplentytoeatandplentytowear，sufficientwatertowashin，andafurnaceinthecellar。 Buttherewasonedeadlylikeness。Ourliveswereabsolutelymonotonousanduneventful。Nothingniceeverhappened，exceptice-creamonSundays，andeventhatwasregular。InalltheeighteenyearsIwasthereIonlyhadoneadventure——whenthewoodshedburned。 Wehadtogetupinthenightanddresssoastobereadyincasethehouseshouldcatch。Butitdidn’tcatchandwewentbacktobed。 Everybodylikesafewsurprises;it’saperfectlynaturalhumancraving。 ButIneverhadoneuntilMrs。LippettcalledmetotheofficetotellmethatMr。JohnSmithwasgoingtosendmetocollege。 Andthenshebrokethenewssograduallythatitjustbarelyshockedme。 Youknow，Daddy，Ithinkthatthemostnecessaryqualityforanypersontohaveisimagination。Itmakespeopleabletoputthemselvesinotherpeople’splaces。Itmakesthemkindandsympatheticandunderstanding。Itoughttobecultivatedinchildren。 ButtheJohnGrierHomeinstantlystampedouttheslightestflickerthatappeared。Dutywastheonequalitythatwasencouraged。 Idon’tthinkchildrenoughttoknowthemeaningoftheword; it’sodious，detestable。Theyoughttodoeverythingfromlove。 WaituntilyouseetheorphanasylumthatIamgoingtobetheheadof！It’smyfavouriteplayatnightbeforeIgotosleep。 Iplanitouttothelittlestdetail——themealsandclothesandstudyandamusementsandpunishments;forevenmysuperiororphansaresometimesbad。 Butanyway，theyaregoingtobehappy。Ithinkthateveryone，nomatterhowmanytroubleshemayhavewhenhegrowsup，oughttohaveahappychildhoodtolookbackupon。AndifIeverhaveanychildrenofmyown，nomatterhowunhappyImaybe，Iamnotgoingtoletthemhaveanycaresuntiltheygrowup。 （Theregoesthechapelbell——I’llfinishthislettersometime）。 ThursdayWhenIcameinfromlaboratorythisafternoon，Ifoundasquirrelsittingontheteatablehelpinghimselftoalmonds。Thesearethekindofcallersweentertainnowthatwarmweatherhascomeandthewindowsstayopen—— SaturdaymorningPerhapsyouthink，lastnightbeingFriday，withnoclassestoday，thatIpassedanicequiet，readableeveningwiththesetofStevensonthatIboughtwithmyprizemoney？Butifso，you’veneverattendedagirls’college，Daddydear。Sixfriendsdroppedintomakefudge，andoneofthemdroppedthefudge——whileitwasstillliquid—— rightinthemiddleofourbestrug。Weshallneverbeabletocleanupthemess。 Ihaven’tmentionedanylessonsoflate;butwearestillhavingthemeveryday。It’ssortofareliefthough，togetawayfromthemanddiscusslifeinthelarge——ratherone-sideddiscussionsthatyouandIhold，butthat’syourownfault。Youarewelcometoanswerbackanytimeyouchoose。 I’vebeenwritingthisletteroffandonforthreedays，andIfearbynowvousetesbienbored！ Goodbye，niceMr。Man，JudyMr。Daddy-Long-LegsSmith，SIR：Havingcompletedthestudyofargumentationandthescienceofdividingathesisintoheads，Ihavedecidedtoadoptthefollowingformforletter-writing。Itcontainsallnecessaryfacts，butnounnecessaryverbiage。 I。Wehadwrittenexaminationsthisweekin： A。Chemistry。 B。History。 II。Anewdormitoryisbeingbuilt。 A。Itsmaterialis： （a）redbrick。 （b）greystone。 B。Itscapacitywillbe： （a）onedean，fiveinstructors。 （b）twohundredgirls。 （c）onehousekeeper，threecooks，twentywaitresses，twentychambermaids。 III。Wehadjunketfordesserttonight。 IV。IamwritingaspecialtopicupontheSourcesofShakespeare’sPlays。 V。LouMcMahonslippedandfellthisafternoonatbasketball，andshe： A。Dislocatedhershoulder。 B。Bruisedherknee。 VI。Ihaveanewhattrimmedwith： A。Bluevelvetribbon。 B。Twobluequills。 C。Threeredpompoms。 VII。Itishalfpastnine。 VIII。Goodnight。 Judy2ndJuneDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Youwillneverguessthenicethingthathashappened。 TheMcBrideshaveaskedmetospendthesummerattheircampintheAdirondacks！Theybelongtoasortofclubonalovelylittlelakeinthemiddleofthewoods。Thedifferentmembershavehousesmadeoflogsdottedaboutamongthetrees，andtheygocanoeingonthelake，andtakelongwalksthroughtrailstoothercamps，andhavedancesonceaweekintheclubhouse——JimmieMcBrideisgoingtohaveacollegefriendvisitinghimpartofthesummer，soyouseeweshallhaveplentyofmentodancewith。 Wasn’titsweetofMrs。McBridetoaskme？ItappearsthatshelikedmewhenIwasthereforChristmas。 Pleaseexcusethisbeingshort。Itisn’tarealletter;it’sjusttoletyouknowthatI’mdisposedofforthesummer。 Yours，InaVERYcontentedframeofmind，Judy5thJuneDearDaddy-Long-Legs，YoursecretarymanhasjustwrittentomesayingthatMr。SmithprefersthatIshouldnotacceptMrs。McBride’sinvitation，butshouldreturntoLockWillowthesameaslastsummer。 Why，why，WHY，Daddy？ Youdon’tunderstandaboutit。Mrs。McBridedoeswantme，reallyandtruly。I’mnottheleastbitoftroubleinthehouse。 I’mahelp。Theydon’ttakeupmanyservants，andSallieanIcandolotsofusefulthings。It’safinechanceformetolearnhousekeeping。 Everywomanoughttounderstandit，anIonlyknowasylum-keeping。 Therearen’tanygirlsourageatthecamp，andMrs。McBridewantsmeforacompanionforSallie。Weareplanningtodoalotofreadingtogether。Wearegoingtoreadallofthebooksfornextyear’sEnglishandsociology。TheProfessorsaiditwouldbeagreathelpifwewouldgetourreadingfinishedinthesummer;andit’ssomucheasiertorememberitifwereadtogetherandtalkitover。 JusttoliveinthesamehousewithSallie’smotherisaneducation。 She’sthemostinteresting，entertaining，companionable，charmingwomanintheworld;sheknowseverything。ThinkhowmanysummersI’vespentwithMrs。LippettandhowI’llappreciatethecontrast。 Youneedn’tbeafraidthatI’llbecrowdingthem，fortheirhouseismadeofrubber。Whentheyhavealotofcompany，theyjustsprinkletentsaboutinthewoodsandturntheboysoutside。It’sgoingtobesuchanice，healthysummerexercisingoutofdoorseveryminute。 JimmieMcBrideisgoingtoteachmehowtoridehorsebackandpaddleacanoe，andhowtoshootand——oh，lotsofthingsIoughttoknow。 It’sthekindofnice，jolly，care-freetimethatI’veneverhad; andIthinkeverygirldeservesitonceinherlife。OfcourseI’lldoexactlyasyousay，butplease，PLEASEletmego，Daddy。I’veneverwantedanythingsomuch。 Thisisn’tJerushaAbbott，thefuturegreatauthor，writingtoyou。 It’sjustJudy——agirl。 9thJuneMr。JohnSmith，SIR：Yoursofthe7thinst。athand。Incompliancewiththeinstructionsreceivedthroughyoursecretary，IleaveonFridaynexttospendthesummeratLockWillowFarm。 Ihopealwaystoremain，（Miss）JerushaAbbottLOCKWILLOWFARM，3rdAugustDearDaddy-Long-Legs，IthasbeennearlytwomonthssinceIwrote，whichwasn’tniceofme，Iknow，butIhaven’tlovedyoumuchthissummer——youseeI’mbeingfrank！ Youcan’timaginehowdisappointedIwasathavingtogiveuptheMcBrides’camp。OfcourseIknowthatyou’remyguardian，andthatIhavetoregardyourwishesinallmatters，butIcouldn’tseeanyREASON。Itwassodistinctlythebestthingthatcouldhavehappenedtome。IfIhadbeenDaddy，andyouhadbeenJudy，Ishouldhavesaid，`Blessyomychild，runalongandhaveagoodtime;seelotsofnewpeopleandlearnlotsofnewthings; liveoutofdoors，andgetstrongandwellandrestedforayearofhardwork。’ Butnotatall！JustacurtlinefromyoursecretaryorderingmetoLockWillow。 It’stheimpersonalityofyourcommandsthathurtsmyfeelings。 Itseemsasthough，ifyoufeltthetiniestlittlebitformethewayIfeelforyou，you’dsometimessendmeamessagethatyou’dwrittenwithyourownhand，insteadofthosebeastlytypewrittensecretary’snotes。Ifthereweretheslightesthintthatyoucared，I’ddoanythingonearthtopleaseyou。 IknowthatIwastowritenice，long，detailedletterswithouteverexpectinganyanswer。You’relivinguptoyoursideofthebargain—— I’mbeingeducated——andIsupposeyou’rethinkingI’mnotlivinguptomine！ But，Daddy，itisahardbargain。Itis，really。I’msoawfullylonely。 YouaretheonlypersonIhavetocarefor，andyouaresoshadowy。 You’rejustanimaginarymanthatI’vemadeup——andprobablytherealYOUisn’tabitlikemyimaginaryYOU。Butyoudidonce，whenIwasillintheinfirmary，sendmeamessage，andnow，whenIamfeelingawfullyforgotten，Igetoutyourcardandreaditover。 Idon’tthinkIamtellingyouatallwhatIstartedtosay，whichwasthis： Althoughmyfeelingsarestillhurt，foritisveryhumiliatingtobepickedupandmovedaboutbyanarbitrary，peremptory，unreasonable，omnipotent，invisibleProvidence，still，whenamanhasbeenaskindandgenerousandthoughtfulasyouhaveheretoforebeentowardsme，Isupposehehasarighttobeanarbitrary，peremptory，unreasonable，invisibleProvidenceifhechooses，andso—— I’llforgiveyouandbecheerfulagain。ButIstilldon’tenjoygettingSallie’slettersaboutthegoodtimestheyarehavingincamp！ However——wewilldrawaveiloverthatandbeginagain。 I’vebeenwritingandwritingthissummer;fourshortstoriesfinishedandsenttofourdifferentmagazines。SoyouseeI’mtryingtobeanauthor。IhaveaworkroomfixedinacorneroftheatticwhereMasterJervieusedtohavehisrainy-dayplayroom。 It’sinacool，breezycornerwithtwodormerwindows，andshadedbyamapletreewithafamilyofredsquirrelslivinginahole。 I’llwriteanicerletterinafewdaysandtellyouallthefarmnews。 Weneedrain。 Yoursasever，Judy10thAugustMr。Daddy-Long-Legs，SIR：Iaddressyoufromthesecondcrotchinthewillowtreebythepoolinthepasture。There’safrogcroakingunderneath，alocustsingingoverheadandtwolittle`devildownheads’ dartingupanddownthetrunk。I’vebeenhereforanhour; it’saverycomfortablecrotch，especiallyafterbeingupholsteredwithtwosofacushions。Icameupwithapenandtablethopingtowriteanimmortalshortstory，butI’vebeenhavingadreadfultimewithmyheroine——ICAN’TmakeherbehaveasIwanthertobehave; soI’veabandonedherforthemoment，andamwritingtoyou。 （Notmuchreliefthough，forIcan’tmakeyoubehaveasIwantyouto，either。） IfyouareinthatdreadfulNewYork，IwishIcouldsendyousomeofthislovely，breezy，sunshinyoutlook。ThecountryisHeavenafteraweekofrain。 SpeakingofHeaven——doyourememberMr。KelloggthatItoldyouaboutlastsummer？——theministerofthelittlewhitechurchattheCorners。 Well，thepooroldsoulisdead——lastwinterofpneumonia。Iwenthalfadozentimestohearhimpreachandgotverywellacquaintedwithhistheology。Hebelievedtotheendexactlythesamethingshestartedwith。Itseemstomethatamanwhocanthinkstraightalongforforty-sevenyearswithoutchangingasingleideaoughttobekeptinacabinetasacuriosity。Ihopeheisenjoyinghisharpandgoldencrown;hewassoperfectlysureoffindingthem！There’sanewyoungman，veryconsequential，inhisplace。Thecongregationisprettydubious，especiallythefactionledbyDeaconCummings。 Itlooksasthoughtherewasgoingtobeanawfulsplitinthechurch。 Wedon’tcareforinnovationsinreligioninthisneighbourhood。 DuringourweekofrainIsatupintheatticandhadanorgyofreading——Stevenson，mostly。Hehimselfismoreentertainingthananyofthecharactersinhisbooks;Idaresayhemadehimselfintothekindofherothatwouldlookwellinprint。Don’tyouthinkitwasperfectofhimtospendallthetenthousanddollarshisfatherleft，forayacht，andgosailingofftotheSouthSeas？ Heliveduptohisadventurouscreed。Ifmyfatherhadleftmetenthousanddollars，I’ddoit，too。ThethoughtofVailimamakesmewild。Iwanttoseethetropics。Iwanttoseethewholeworld。 Iamgoingtobeagreatauthor，orartist，oractress，orplaywright—— orwhateversortofagreatpersonIturnouttobe。Ihaveaterriblewanderthirst;theverysightofamapmakesmewanttoputonmyhatandtakeanumbrellaandstart。`IshallseebeforeIdiethepalmsandtemplesoftheSouth。’ Thursdayeveningattwilight，sittingonthedoorstep。 Veryhardtogetanynewsintothisletter！Judyisbecomingsophilosophicaloflate，thatshewishestodiscourselargelyoftheworldingeneral，insteadofdescendingtothetrivialdetailsofdailylife。ButifyouMUSThavenews，hereitis： OurnineyoungpigswadedacrossthebrookandranawaylastTuesday，andonlyeightcameback。Wedon’twanttoaccuseanyoneunjustly，butwesuspectthatWidowDowdhasonemorethansheoughttohave。 Mr。Weaverhaspaintedhisbarnandhistwosilosabrightpumpkinyellow—— averyuglycolour，buthesaysitwillwear。 TheBrewershavecompanythisweek;Mrs。Brewer’ssisterandtwoniecesfromOhio。 OneofourRhodeIslandRedsonlybroughtoffthreechicksoutoffifteeneggs。Wecan’timaginewhatwasthetrouble。 RhodeislandReds，inmyopinion，areaveryinferiorbreed。 IpreferBuffOrpingtons。 ThenewclerkinthepostofficeatBonnyriggFourCornersdrankeverydropofJamaicagingertheyhadinstock——sevendollars’ worth——beforehewasdiscovered。 OldIraHatchhasrheumatismandcan’tworkanymore;heneversavedhismoneywhenhewasearninggoodwages，sonowhehastoliveonthetown。 There’stobeanice-creamsocialattheschoolhousenextSaturdayevening。Comeandbringyourfamilies。 IhaveanewhatthatIboughtfortwenty-fivecentsatthepostoffice。 Thisismylatestportrait，onmywaytorakethehay。 It’sgettingtoodarktosee;anyway，thenewsisallusedup。 Goodnight，JudyFridayGoodmorning！Hereissomenews！Whatdoyouthink？You’dnever，never，neverguesswho’scomingtoLockWillow。AlettertoMrs。 SemplefromMr。Pendleton。He’smotoringthroughtheBerkshires，andistiredandwantstorestonanicequietfarm——ifheclimbsoutatherdoorstepsomenightwillshehavearoomreadyforhim？ Maybehe’llstayoneweek，ormaybetwo，ormaybethree;he’llseehowrestfulitiswhenhegetshere。 Suchaflutteraswearein！Thewholehouseisbeingcleanedandallthecurtainswashed。IamdrivingtotheCornersthismorningtogetsomenewoilclothfortheentry，andtwocansofbrownfloorpaintforthehallandbackstairs。Mrs。Dowdisengagedtocometomorrowtowashthewindows（intheexigencyofthemoment，wewaiveoursuspicionsinregardtothepiglet）。Youmightthink，fromthisaccountofouractivities，thatthehousewasnotalreadyimmaculate; butIassureyouitwas！WhateverMrs。Semple’slimitations，sheisaHOUSEKEEPER。 Butisn’titjustlikeaman，Daddy？Hedoesn’tgivetheremotesthintastowhetherhewilllandonthedoorsteptoday，ortwoweeksfromtoday。Weshallliveinaperpetualbreathlessnessuntilhecomes—— andifhedoesn’thurry，thecleaningmayallhavetobedoneoveragain。 There’sAmasaiwaitingbelowwiththebuckboardandGrover。 Idrivealone——butifyoucouldseeoldGrove，youwouldn’tbeworriedastomysafety。 Withmyhandonmyheart——farewell。 JudyPS。Isn’tthataniceending？IgotitoutofStevenson’sletters。 SaturdayGoodmorningagain！Ididn’tgetthisENVELOPEDyesterdaybeforethepostmancame，soI’lladdsomemore。Wehaveonemailadayattwelveo’clock。Ruraldeliveryisablessingtothefarmers！ Ourpostmannotonlydeliversletters，butherunserrandsforusintown，atfivecentsanerrand。Yesterdayhebroughtmesomeshoe-stringsandajarofcoldcream（IsunburnedalltheskinoffmynosebeforeIgotmynewhat）andablueWindsortieandabottleofblackingallfortencents。Thatwasanunusualbargain，owingtothelargenessofmyorder。 AlsohetellsuswhatishappeningintheGreatWorld。 Severalpeopleontheroutetakedailypapers，andhereadsthemashejogsalong，andrepeatsthenewstotheoneswhodon’tsubscribe。 SoincaseawarbreaksoutbetweentheUnitedStatesandJapan，orthepresidentisassassinated，orMr。RockefellerleavesamilliondollarstotheJohnGrierHome，youneedn’tbothertowrite; I’llhearitanyway。 NosignyetofMasterJervie。Butyoushouldseehowcleanourhouseis——andwithwhatanxietywewipeourfeetbeforewestepin！ Ihopehe’llcomesoon;Iamlongingforsomeonetotalkto。 Mrs。Semple，totellyouthetruth，getsrathermonotonous。 Sheneverletsideasinterrupttheeasyflowofherconversation。 It’safunnythingaboutthepeoplehere。Theirworldisjustthissinglehilltop。Theyarenotabituniversal，ifyouknowwhatImean。It’sexactlythesameasattheJohnGrierHome。 Ourideastherewereboundedbythefoursidesoftheironfence，onlyIdidn’tminditsomuchbecauseIwasyounger，andwassoawfullybusy。BythetimeI’dgotallmybedsmadeandmybabies’ faceswashedandhadgonetoschoolandcomehomeandhadwashedtheirfacesagainanddarnedtheirstockingsandmendedFreddiePerkins’strousers（hetorethemeverydayofhislife）andlearnedmylessonsinbetween——Iwasreadytogotobed，andIdidn’tnoticeanylackofsocialintercourse。Butaftertwoyearsinaconversationalcollege，Idomissit;andIshallbegladtoseesomebodywhospeaksmylanguage。 IreallybelieveI’vefinished，Daddy。Nothingelseoccurstomeatthemoment——I’lltrytowritealongerletternexttime。 Yoursalways，JudyPS。Thelettucehasn’tdoneatallwellthisyear。Itwassodryearlyintheseason。 25thAugustWell，Daddy，MasterJervie’shere。Andsuchanicetimeaswe’rehaving！AtleastIam，andIthinkheis，too——hehasbeenheretendaysandhedoesn’tshowanysignsofgoing。ThewayMrs。Semplepampersthatmanisscandalous。Ifsheindulgedhimasmuchwhenhewasababy，Idon’tknowhowheeverturnedoutsowell。 HeandIeatatalittletablesetonthesideporch，orsometimesunderthetrees，or——whenitrainsoriscold——inthebestparlour。 HejustpicksoutthespothewantstoeatinandCarrietrotsafterhimwiththetable。Thenifithasbeenanawfulnuisance，andshehashadtocarrythedishesveryfar，shefindsadollarunderthesugarbowl。 Heisanawfullycompanionablesortofman，thoughyouwouldneverbelieveittoseehimcasually;helooksatfirstglancelikeatruePendleton，butheisn’tintheleast。Heisjustassimpleandunaffectedandsweetashecanbe——thatseemsafunnywaytodescribeaman，butit’strue。He’sextremelynicewiththefarmersaroundhere;hemeetstheminasortofman-to-manfashionthatdisarmsthemimmediately。Theywereverysuspiciousatfirst。 Theydidn’tcareforhisclothes！AndIwillsaythathisclothesareratheramazing。Hewearsknickerbockersandpleatedjacketsandwhiteflannelsandridingclotheswithpuffedtrousers。 Wheneverhecomesdowninanythingnew，Mrs。Semple，beamingwithpride，walksaroundandviewshimfromeveryangle，andurgeshimtobecarefulwherehesitsdown;sheissoafraidhewillpickupsomedust。 Itboreshimdreadfully。He’salwayssayingtoher： `Runalong，Lizzie，andtendtoyourwork。Youcan’tbossmeanylonger。I’vegrownup。’ It’sawfullyfunnytothinkofthatgreatbig，long-leggedman（he’snearlyaslong-leggedasyou，Daddy）eversittinginMrs。Semple’slapandhavinghisfacewashed。Particularlyfunnywhenyouseeherlap！ Shehastwolapsnow，andthreechins。Buthesaysthatonceshewasthinandwiryandspryandcouldrunfasterthanhe。 Suchalotofadventureswe’rehaving！We’veexploredthecountryformiles，andI’velearnedtofishwithfunnylittlefliesmadeoffeathers。Alsotoshootwitharifleandarevolver。Alsotoridehorseback——there’sanastonishingamountoflifeinoldGrove。 Wefedhimonoatsforthreedays，andheshiedatacalfandalmostranawaywithme。 WednesdayWeclimbedSkyHillMondayafternoon。That’samountainnearhere; notanawfullyhighmountain，perhaps——nosnowonthesummit——butatleastyouareprettybreathlesswhenyoureachthetop。Thelowerslopesarecoveredwithwoods，butthetopisjustpiledrocksandopenmoor。 Westayedupforthesunsetandbuiltafireandcookedoursupper。 MasterJerviedidthecooking;hesaidheknewhowbetterthanmeandhedid，too，becausehe’susedtocamping。Thenwecamedownbymoonlight，and，whenwereachedthewoodtrailwhereitwasdark，bythelightofanelectricbulbthathehadinhispocket。 Itwassuchfun！Helaughedandjokedallthewayandtalkedaboutinterestingthings。He’sreadallthebooksI’veeverread，andalotofothersbesides。It’sastonishinghowmanydifferentthingsheknows。 Wewentforalongtrampthismorningandgotcaughtinastorm。 Ourclothesweredrenchedbeforewereachedhomebutourspiritsnotevendamp。YoushouldhaveseenMrs。Semple’sfacewhenwedrippedintoherkitchen。 `Oh，MasterJervie——MissJudy！Youaresoakedthrough。Dear！Dear！ WhatshallIdo？Thatnicenewcoatisperfectlyruined。’ Shewasawfullyfunny;youwouldhavethoughtthatweweretenyearsold，andsheadistractedmother。Iwasafraidforawhilethatweweren’tgoingtogetanyjamfortea。 SaturdayIstartedthisletteragesago，butIhaven’thadasecondtofinishit。 Isn’tthisanicethoughtfromStevenson？ Theworldissofullofanumberofthings，Iamsureweshouldallbeashappyaskings。 It’strue，youknow。Theworldisfullofhappiness，andplentytogoround，ifyouareonlywillingtotakethekindthatcomesyourway。ThewholesecretisinbeingPLIABLE。Inthecountry，especially，therearesuchalotofentertainingthings。 Icanwalkovereverybody’sland，andlookateverybody’sview，anddabbleineverybody’sbrook;andenjoyitjustasmuchasthoughIownedtheland——andwithnotaxestopay！ It’sSundaynightnow，abouteleveno’clock，andIamsupposedtobegettingsomebeautysleep，butIhadblackcoffeefordinner，so——nobeautysleepforme！ Thismorning，saidMrs。SempletoMr。Pendleton，withaverydeterminedaccent： `Wehavetoleavehereataquarterpastteninordertogettochurchbyeleven。’ `Verywell，Lizzie，’saidMasterJervie，`youhavethebuggyready，andifI’mnotdressed，justgoonwithoutwaiting。’’We’llwait，’ saidshe。 `Asyouplease，’saidhe，`onlydon’tkeepthehorsesstandingtoolong。’ Thenwhileshewasdressing，hetoldCarrietopackupalunch，andhetoldmetoscrambleintomywalkingclothes;andweslippedoutthebackwayandwentfishing。 Itdiscommodedthehouseholddreadfully，becauseLockWillowofaSundaydinesattwo。Butheordereddinneratseven——heordersmealswheneverhechooses;youwouldthinktheplacewerearestaurant—— andthatkeptCarrieandAmasaifromgoingdriving。Buthesaiditwasallthebetterbecauseitwasn’tproperforthemtogodrivingwithoutachaperon;andanyway，hewantedthehorseshimselftotakemedriving。Didyoueverhearanythingsofunny？ AndpoorMrs。SemplebelievesthatpeoplewhogofishingonSundaysgoafterwardstoasizzlinghothell！Sheisawfullytroubledtothinkthatshedidn’ttrainhimbetterwhenhewassmallandhelplessandshehadthechance。Besides——shewishedtoshowhimoffinchurch。 Anyway，wehadourfishing（hecaughtfourlittleones）andwecookedthemonacamp-fireforlunch。Theykeptfallingoffourspikedsticksintothefire，sotheytastedalittleashy，butweatethem。 Wegothomeatfourandwentdrivingatfiveandhaddinneratseven，andattenIwassenttobedandhereIam，writingtoyou。 Iamgettingalittlesleepy，though。 Goodnight。 HereisapictureoftheonefishIcaught。 ShipAhoy，Cap’nLong-Legs！ Avast！Belay！Yo，ho，ho，andabottleofrum。GuesswhatI’mreading？ Ourconversationthesepasttwodayshasbeennauticalandpiratical。 Isn’tTreasureIslandfun？Didyoueverreadit，orwasn’titwrittenwhenyouwereaboy？Stevensononlygotthirtypoundsfortheserialrights——Idon’tbelieveitpaystobeagreatauthor。 MaybeI’llbeaschool-teacher。 ExcusemeforfillingmyletterssofullofStevenson;mymindisverymuchengagedwithhimatpresent。HecomprisesLockWillow’slibrary。 I’vebeenwritingthisletterfortwoweeks，andIthinkit’saboutlongenough。Neversay，Daddy，thatIdon’tgivedetails。 Iwishyouwerehere，too;we’dallhavesuchajollytimetogether。 Ilikemydifferentfriendstoknoweachother。IwantedtoaskMr。PendletonifheknewyouinNewYork——Ishouldthinkhemight; youmustmoveinaboutthesameexaltedsocialcircles，andyouarebothinterestedinreformsandthings——butIcouldn’t，forIdon’tknowyourrealname。 It’sthesilliestthingIeverheardof，nottoknowyourname。 Mrs。Lippettwarnedmethatyouwereeccentric。Ishouldthinkso！ Affectionately，JudyPS。Onreadingthisover，Ifindthatitisn’tallStevenson。 ThereareoneortwoglancingreferencestoMasterJervie。 10thSeptemberDearDaddy，Hehasgone，andwearemissinghim！Whenyougetaccustomedtopeopleorplacesorwaysofliving，andthenhavethemsnatchedaway，itdoesleaveanawfullyempty，gnawingsortofsensation。 I’mfindingMrs。Semple’sconversationprettyunseasonedfood。 CollegeopensintwoweeksandIshallbegladtobeginworkagain。 Ihaveworkedquitealotthissummerthough——sixshortstoriesandsevenpoems。ThoseIsenttothemagazinesallcamebackwiththemostcourteouspromptitude。ButIdon’tmind。It’sgoodpractice。 MasterJerviereadthem——hebroughtinthepost，soIcouldn’thelphisknowing——andhesaidtheywereDREADFUL。TheyshowedthatIdidn’thavetheslightestideaofwhatIwastalkingabout。 （MasterJerviedoesn’tletpolitenessinterferewithtruth。） ButthelastoneIdid——justalittlesketchlaidincollege—— hesaidwasn’tbad;andhehadittypewritten，andIsentittoamagazine。They’vehadittwoweeks;maybethey’rethinkingitover。 Youshouldseethesky！There’sthequeerestorange-colouredlightovereverything。We’regoingtohaveastorm。 Itcommencedjustthatmomentwithtremendouslybigdropsandalltheshuttersbanging。Ihadtoruntoclosethewindows，whileCarrieflewtotheatticwithanarmfulofmilkpanstoputundertheplaceswheretheroofleaksandthen，justasIwasresumingmypen，IrememberedthatI’dleftacushionandrugandhatandMatthewArnold’spoemsunderatreeintheorchard，soIdashedouttogetthem，allquitesoaked。Theredcoverofthepoemshadrunintotheinside; DoverBeachinthefuturewillbewashedbypinkwaves。 Astormisawfullydisturbinginthecountry。Youarealwayshavingtothinkofsomanythingsthatareoutofdoorsandgettingspoiled。 ThursdayDaddy！Daddy！Whatdoyouthink？Thepostmanhasjustcomewithtwoletters。 1st。Mystoryisaccepted。$50。 ALORS！I’manAUTHOR。 2nd。Aletterfromthecollegesecretary。I’mtohaveascholarshipfortwoyearsthatwillcoverboardandtuition。Itwasfoundedfor`markedproficiencyinEnglishwithgeneralexcellencyinotherlines。’AndI’vewonit！IappliedforitbeforeIleft，butIdidn’thaveanideaI’dgetit，onaccountofmyFreshmanbadworkinmathsandLatin。ButitseemsI’vemadeitup。Iamawfullyglad，Daddy，becausenowIwon’tbesuchaburdentoyou。 ThemonthlyallowancewillbeallI’llneed，andmaybeIcanearnthatwithwritingortutoringorsomething。 I’mLONGINGtogobackandbeginwork。 Yoursever，JerushaAbbott，AuthorofWhentheSophomoresWontheGame。Forsaleatallnewsstands，pricetencents。 26thSeptemberDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Backatcollegeagainandanupperclassman。Ourstudyisbetterthaneverthisyear——facestheSouthwithtwohugewindowsandoh！ sofurnished。Julia，withanunlimitedallowance，arrivedtwodaysearlyandwasattackedwithafeverforsettling。 Wehavenewwallpaperandorientalrugsandmahoganychairs—— notpaintedmahoganywhichmadeussufficientlyhappylastyear，butreal。It’sverygorgeous，butIdon’tfeelasthoughIbelongedinit;I’mnervousallthetimeforfearI’llgetaninkspotinthewrongplace。 And，Daddy，Ifoundyourletterwaitingforme——pardon——Imeanyoursecretary’s。 WillyoukindlyconveytomeacomprehensiblereasonwhyIshouldnotacceptthatscholarship？Idon’tunderstandyourobjectionintheleast。Butanyway，itwon’tdotheslightestgoodforyoutoobject，forI’vealreadyaccepteditandIamnotgoingtochange！ Thatsoundsalittleimpertinent，butIdon’tmeanitso。 Isupposeyoufeelthatwhenyousetouttoeducateme，you’dliketofinishthework，andputaneatperiod，intheshapeofadiploma，attheend。 Butlookatitjustasecondfrommypointofview。IshallowemyeducationtoyoujustasmuchasthoughIletyoupayforthewholeofit，butIwon’tbequitesomuchindebted。Iknowthatyoudon’twantmetoreturnthemoney，butnevertheless，Iamgoingtowanttodoit，ifIpossiblycan;andwinningthisscholarshipmakesitsomucheasier。 Iwasexpectingtospendtherestofmylifeinpayingmydebts，butnowIshallonlyhavetospendone-halfoftherestofit。 Ihopeyouunderstandmypositionandwon’tbecross。TheallowanceIshallstillmostgratefullyaccept。ItrequiresanallowancetoliveuptoJuliaandherfurniture！Iwishthatshehadbeenrearedtosimplertastes，orelsethatshewerenotmyroom-mate。 Thisisn’tmuchofaletter;Imeanttohavewrittenalot——butI’vebeenhemmingfourwindowcurtainsandthreeportieres（I’mgladyoucan’tseethelengthofthestitches），andpolishingabrassdesksetwithtoothpowder（veryuphillwork），andsawingoffpicturewirewithmanicurescissors，andunpackingfourboxesofbooks，andputtingawaytwotrunkfulsofclothes（itdoesn’tseembelievablethatJerushaAbbottownstwotrunksfullofclothes，butshedoes！） andwelcomingbackfiftydearfriendsinbetween。 Openingdayisajoyousoccasion！ Goodnight，Daddydear，anddon’tbeannoyedbecauseyourchickiswantingtoscratchforherself。She’sgrowingupintoanawfullyenergeticlittlehen——withaverydeterminedcluckandlotsofbeautifulfeathers（allduetoyou）。 Affectionately，Judy30thSeptemberDearDaddy，Areyoustillharpingonthatscholarship？Ineverknewamansoobstinate，andstubbornandunreasonable，andtenacious，andbull-doggish，andunable-to-see-other-people’s-point-of-view，asyou。 YoupreferthatIshouldnotbeacceptingfavoursfromstrangers。 Strangers！——Andwhatareyou，pray？ IsthereanyoneintheworldthatIknowless？Ishouldn’trecognizeyouifImetyouinthestreet。Now，yousee，ifyouhadbeenasane，sensiblepersonandhadwrittennice，cheeringfatherlyletterstoyourlittleJudy，andhadcomeoccasionallyandpattedheronthehead，andhadsaidyouweregladshewassuchagoodgirl——Then，perhaps，shewouldn’thavefloutedyouinyouroldage，butwouldhaveobeyedyourslightestwishlikethedutifuldaughtershewasmeanttobe。 Strangersindeed！Youliveinaglasshouse，Mr。Smith。 Andbesides，thisisn’tafavour;it’slikeaprize——Iearneditbyhardwork。IfnobodyhadbeengoodenoughinEnglish，thecommitteewouldn’thaveawardedthescholarship;someyearstheydon’t。Also—— Butwhat’stheuseofarguingwithaman？Youbelong，Mr。Smith，toasexdevoidofasenseoflogic。Tobringamanintoline，therearejusttwomethods：onemusteithercoaxorbedisagreeable。 IscorntocoaxmenforwhatIwish。Therefore，Imustbedisagreeable。 Irefuse，sir，togiveupthescholarship;andifyoumakeanymorefuss，Iwon’tacceptthemonthlyallowanceeither，butwillwearmyselfintoanervouswrecktutoringstupidFreshmen。 Thatismyultimatum！ Andlisten——Ihaveafurtherthought。SinceyouaresoafraidthatbytakingthisscholarshipIamdeprivingsomeoneelseofaneducation，Iknowawayout。YoucanapplythemoneythatyouwouldhavespentformetowardseducatingsomeotherlittlegirlfromtheJohnGrierHome。 Don’tyouthinkthat’saniceidea？Only，Daddy，EDUCATEthenewgirlasmuchasyouchoose，butpleasedon’tLIKEheranybetterthanme。 Itrustthatyoursecretarywon’tbehurtbecauseIpaysolittleattentiontothesuggestionsofferedinhisletter，butIcan’thelpitifheis。He’saspoiledchild，Daddy。I’vemeeklygivenintohiswhimsheretofore，butthistimeIintendtobeFIRM。 Yours，Withamind，CompletelyandIrrevocablyandWorld-without-EndMade-up，JerushaAbbott9thNovemberDearDaddy-Long-Legs，IstarteddowntowntodaytobuyabottleofshoeblackingandsomecollarsandthematerialforanewblouseandajarofvioletcreamandacakeofCastilesoap——allverynecessary;Icouldn’tbehappyanotherdaywithoutthem——andwhenItriedtopaythecarfare，IfoundthatIhadleftmypurseinthepocketofmyothercoat。 SoIhadtogetoutandtakethenextcar，andwaslateforgymnasium。 It’sadreadfulthingtohavenomemoryandtwocoats！ JuliaPendletonhasinvitedmetovisitherfortheChristmasholidays。 Howdoesthatstrikeyou，Mr。Smith？FancyJerushaAbbott，oftheJohnGrierHome，sittingatthetablesoftherich。 Idon’tknowwhyJuliawantsme——sheseemstobegettingquiteattachedtomeoflate。Ishould，totellthetruth，verymuchprefergoingtoSallie’s，butJuliaaskedmefirst，soifI goanywhereitmustbetoNewYorkinsteadoftoWorcester。 I’mratherawedattheprospectofmeetingPendletonsENMASSE，andalsoI’dhavetogetalotofnewclothes——so，Daddydear，ifyouwritethatyouwouldpreferhavingmeremainquietlyatcollege，Iwillbowtoyourwisheswithmyusualsweetdocility。 I’mengagedatoddmomentswiththeLifeandLettersofThomasHuxley—— itmakesnice，lightreadingtopickupbetweentimes。Doyouknowwhatanarchaeopteryxis？It’sabird。Andastereognathus？ I’mnotsuremyself，butIthinkit’samissinglink，likeabirdwithteethoralizardwithwings。No，itisn’teither;I’vejustlookedinthebook。It’samesozoicmammal。 I’veelectedeconomicsthisyear——veryilluminatingsubject。 WhenIfinishthatI’mgoingtotakeCharityandReform;then，Mr。Trustee，I’llknowjusthowanorphanasylumoughttoberun。 Don’tyouthinkI’dmakeanadmirablevoterifIhadmyrights？ Iwastwenty-onelastweek。Thisisanawfullywastefulcountrytothrowawaysuchanhonest，educated，conscientious，intelligentcitizenasIwouldbe。 Yoursalways，Judy7thDecemberDearDaddy-Long-Legs，ThankyouforpermissiontovisitJulia——Itakeitthatsilencemeansconsent。 Suchasocialwhirlaswe’vebeenhaving！TheFounder’sdancecamelastweek——thiswasthefirstyearthatanyofuscouldattend; onlyupperclassmenbeingallowed。 IinvitedJimmieMcBride，andSallieinvitedhisroom-mateatPrinceton，whovisitedthemlastsummerattheircamp——anawfullynicemanwithredhair——andJuliainvitedamanfromNewYork，notveryexciting，butsociallyirreproachable。HeisconnectedwiththeDelaMaterChichesters。Perhapsthatmeanssomethingtoyou？Itdoesn’tilluminatemetoanyextent。 However——ourguestscameFridayafternoonintimeforteaintheseniorcorridor，andthendasheddowntothehotelfordinner。 Thehotelwassofullthattheysleptinrowsonthebilliardtables，theysay。JimmieMcBridesaysthatthenexttimeheisbiddentoasocialeventinthiscollege，heisgoingtobringoneoftheirAdirondacktentsandpitchitonthecampus。 Atseven-thirtytheycamebackforthePresident’sreceptionanddance。 Ourfunctionscommenceearly！Wehadthemen’scardsallmadeoutaheadoftime，andaftereverydance，we’dleavethemingroups，undertheletterthatstoodfortheirnames，sothattheycouldbereadilyfoundbytheirnextpartners。JimmieMcBride，forexample，wouldstandpatientlyunder`M’untilhewasclaimed。（Atleast，heoughttohavestoodpatiently，buthekeptwanderingoffandgettingmixedwith`R’s’and`S’s’andallsortsofletters。） Ifoundhimaverydifficultguest;hewassulkybecausehehadonlythreedanceswithme。Hesaidhewasbashfulaboutdancingwithgirlshedidn’tknow！ Thenextmorningwehadagleeclubconcert——andwhodoyouthinkwrotethefunnynewsongcomposedfortheoccasion？It’sthetruth。 Shedid。Oh，Itellyou，Daddy，yourlittlefoundlingisgettingtobequiteaprominentperson！ Anyway，ourgaytwodaysweregreatfun，andIthinkthemenenjoyedit。 Someofthemwereawfullyperturbedatfirstattheprospectoffacingonethousandgirls;buttheygotacclimatedveryquickly。 OurtwoPrincetonmenhadabeautifultime——atleasttheypolitelysaidtheyhad，andthey’veinvitedustotheirdancenextspring。 We’veaccepted，sopleasedon’tobject，Daddydear。 JuliaandSallieandIallhadnewdresses。Doyouwanttohearaboutthem？Julia’swascreamsatinandgoldembroideryandsheworepurpleorchids。ItwasaDREAMandcamefromParis，andcostamilliondollars。 Sallie’swaspalebluetrimmedwithPersianembroidery，andwentbeautifullywithredhair。Itdidn’tcostquiteamillion，butwasjustaseffectiveasJulia’s。 Minewaspalepinkcrepedechinetrimmedwithecrulaceandrosesatin。 AndIcarriedcrimsonroseswhichJ。McB。sent（Salliehavingtoldhimwhatcolourtoget）。Andweallhadsatinslippersandsilkstockingsandchiffonscarfstomatch。 Youmustbedeeplyimpressedbythesemillinerydetails。 Onecan’thelpthinking，Daddy，whatacolourlesslifeamanisforcedtolead，whenonereflectsthatchiffonandVenetianpointandhandembroideryandIrishcrochetaretohimmereemptywords。 Whereasawoman——whethersheisinterestedinbabiesormicrobesorhusbandsorpoetryorservantsorparallelogramsorgardensorPlatoorbridge——isfundamentallyandalwaysinterestedinclothes。 It’stheonetouchofnaturethatmakesthewholeworldkin。 （Thatisn’toriginal。IgotitoutofoneofShakespeare’splays）。 However，toresume。DoyouwantmetotellyouasecretthatI’velatelydiscovered？Andwillyoupromisenottothinkmevain？ Thenlisten： I’mpretty。 Iam，really。I’dbeanawfulidiotnottoknowitwiththreelooking-glassesintheroom。 AFriendPS。Thisisoneofthosewickedanonymouslettersyoureadaboutinnovels。 20thDecemberDearDaddy-Long-Legs，I’vejustamoment，becauseImustattendtwoclasses，packatrunkandasuit-case，andcatchthefour-o’clocktrain——butIcouldn’tgowithoutsendingawordtoletyouknowhowmuchIappreciatemyChristmasbox。 IlovethefursandthenecklaceandtheLibertyscarfandtheglovesandhandkerchiefsandbooksandpurse——andmostofallIloveyou！ ButDaddy，youhavenobusinesstospoilmethisway。I’monlyhuman—— andagirlatthat。HowcanIkeepmymindsternlyfixedonastudiouscareer，whenyoudeflectmewithsuchworldlyfrivolities？ IhavestrongsuspicionsnowastowhichoneoftheJohnGrierTrusteesusedtogivetheChristmastreeandtheSundayice-cream。 Hewasnameless，butbyhisworksIknowhim！Youdeservetobehappyforallthegoodthingsyoudo。 Goodbye，andaverymerryChristmas。 Yoursalways，JudyPS。Iamsendingaslighttoken，too。Doyouthinkyouwouldlikeherifyouknewher？ 11thJanuaryImeanttowritetoyoufromthecity，Daddy，butNewYorkisanengrossingplace。 Ihadaninteresting——andilluminating——time，butI’mgladIdon’tbelongtosuchafamily！IshouldtrulyratherhavetheJohnGrierHomeforabackground。Whateverthedrawbacksofmybringingup，therewasatleastnopretenceaboutit。IknownowwhatpeoplemeanwhentheysaytheyareweigheddownbyThings。Thematerialatmosphereofthathousewascrushing;Ididn’tdrawadeepbreathuntilIwasonanexpresstraincomingback。Allthefurniturewascarvedandupholsteredandgorgeous;thepeopleImetwerebeautifullydressedandlow-voicedandwell-bred，butit’sthetruth，Daddy，Ineverheardonewordofrealtalkfromthetimewearriveduntilweleft。Idon’tthinkanideaeverenteredthefrontdoor。 Mrs。Pendletonneverthinksofanythingbutjewelsanddressmakersandsocialengagements。ShedidseemadifferentkindofmotherfromMrs。McBride！IfIevermarryandhaveafamily，I’mgoingtomakethemasexactlyliketheMcBridesasIcan。NotforallthemoneyintheworldwouldIeverletanychildrenofminedevelopintoPendletons。 Maybeitisn’tpolitetocriticizepeopleyou’vebeenvisiting？ Ifitisn’t，pleaseexcuse。Thisisveryconfidential，betweenyouandme。 IonlysawMasterJervieoncewhenhecalledatteatime，andthenIdidn’thaveachancetospeaktohimalone。 Itwasreallydisappointingafterournicetimelastsummer。 Idon’tthinkhecaresmuchforhisrelatives——andIamsuretheydon’tcaremuchforhim！Julia’smothersayshe’sunbalanced。 He’saSocialist——except，thankHeaven，hedoesn’tlethishairgrowandwearredties。Shecan’timaginewherehepickeduphisqueerideas; thefamilyhavebeenChurchofEnglandforgenerations。Hethrowsawayhismoneyoneverysortofcrazyreform，insteadofspendingitonsuchsensiblethingsasyachtsandautomobilesandpoloponies。 Hedoesbuycandywithitthough！HesentJuliaandmeeachaboxforChristmas。 Youknow，IthinkI’llbeaSocialist，too。Youwouldn’tmind，wouldyou，Daddy？They’requitedifferentfromAnarchists; theydon’tbelieveinblowingpeopleup。ProbablyIamonebyrights; Ibelongtotheproletariat。Ihaven’tdeterminedyetjustwhichkindIamgoingtobe。IwilllookintothesubjectoverSunday，anddeclaremyprinciplesinmynext。 I’veseenloadsoftheatresandhotelsandbeautifulhouses。 Mymindisaconfusedjumbleofonyxandgildingandmosaicfloorsandpalms。I’mstillprettybreathlessbutIamgladtogetbacktocollegeandmybooks——IbelievethatIreallyamastudent; thisatmosphereofacademiccalmIfindmorebracingthanNewYork。 Collegeisaverysatisfyingsortoflife;thebooksandstudyandregularclasseskeepyoualivementally，andthenwhenyourmindgetstired，youhavethegymnasiumandoutdoorathletics，andalwaysplentyofcongenialfriendswhoarethinkingaboutthesamethingsyouare。Wespendawholeeveninginnothingbuttalk—— talk——talk——andgotobedwithaveryupliftedfeeling，asthoughwehadsettledpermanentlysomepressingworldproblems。Andfillingineverycrevice，thereisalwayssuchalotofnonsense——justsillyjokesaboutthelittlethingsthatcomeupbutverysatisfying。 Wedoappreciateourownwitticisms！ Itisn’tthegreatbigpleasuresthatcountthemost;it’smakingagreatdealoutofthelittleones——I’vediscoveredthetruesecretofhappiness，Daddy，andthatistoliveinthenow。 Nottobeforeverregrettingthepast，oranticipatingthefuture; buttogetthemostthatyoucanoutofthisveryinstant。 It’slikefarming。Youcanhaveextensivefarmingandintensivefarming;well，Iamgoingtohaveintensivelivingafterthis。 I’mgoingtoenjoyeverysecond，andI’mgoingtoKNOWI’menjoyingitwhileI’menjoyingit。Mostpeopledon’tlive;theyjustrace。 Theyaretryingtoreachsomegoalfarawayonthehorizon，andintheheatofthegoingtheygetsobreathlessandpantingthattheyloseallsightofthebeautiful，tranquilcountrytheyarepassingthrough; andthenthefirstthingtheyknow，theyareoldandwornout，anditdoesn’tmakeanydifferencewhetherthey’vereachedthegoalornot。I’vedecidedtositdownbythewayandpileupalotoflittlehappinesses，evenifIneverbecomeaGreatAuthor。 DidyoueverknowsuchaphilosopheressasIamdevelopinginto？ Yoursever，JudyPS。It’srainingcatsanddogstonight。Twopuppiesandakittenhavejustlandedonthewindow-sill。 DearComrade，Hooray！I’maFabian。 That’saSocialistwho’swillingtowait。Wedon’twantthesocialrevolutiontocometomorrowmorning;itwouldbetooupsetting。 Wewantittocomeverygraduallyinthedistantfuture，whenweshallallbepreparedandabletosustaintheshock。 Inthemeantime，wemustbegettingready，byinstitutingindustrial，educationalandorphanasylumreforms。 Yours，withfraternallove，JudyMonday，3rdhour11thFebruaryDearD-L-L。，Don’tbeinsultedbecausethisissoshort。Itisn’taletter; it’sjustaLINEtosaythatI’mgoingtowritealetterprettysoonwhenexaminationsareover。ItisnotonlynecessarythatIpass，butpassWELL。Ihaveascholarshiptoliveupto。 Yours，studyinghard，J。A。 5thMarchDearDaddy-Long-Legs，PresidentCuylermadeaspeechthiseveningaboutthemoderngenerationbeingflippantandsuperficial。Hesaysthatwearelosingtheoldidealsofearnestendeavourandtruescholarship; andparticularlyisthisfalling-offnoticeableinourdisrespectfulattitudetowardsorganizedauthority。Wenolongerpayaseemlydeferencetooursuperiors。 Icameawayfromchapelverysober。 AmItoofamiliar，Daddy？OughtItotreatyouwithmoredignityandaloofness？——Yes，I’msureIought。I’llbeginagain。 MyDearMr。Smith，YouwillbepleasedtohearthatIpassedsuccessfullymymid-yearexaminations，andamnowcommencingworkinthenewsemester。Iamleavingchemistry——havingcompletedthecourseinqualitativeanalysis—— andamenteringuponthestudyofbiology。Iapproachthissubjectwithsomehesitation，asIunderstandthatwedissectanglewormsandfrogs。 AnextremelyinterestingandvaluablelecturewasgiveninthechapellastweekuponRomanRemainsinSouthernFrance。Ihaveneverlistenedtoamoreilluminatingexpositionofthesubject。 WearereadingWordsworth’sTinternAbbeyinconnectionwithourcourseinEnglishLiterature。Whatanexquisiteworkitis，andhowadequatelyitembodieshisconceptionsofPantheism！ TheRomanticmovementoftheearlypartofthelastcentury，exemplifiedintheworksofsuchpoetsasShelley，Byron，Keats，andWordsworth，appealstomeverymuchmorethantheClassicalperiodthatprecededit。Speakingofpoetry，haveyoueverreadthatcharminglittlethingofTennyson’scalledLocksleyHall？ Iamattendinggymnasiumveryregularlyoflate。Aproctorsystemhasbeendevised，andfailuretocomplywiththerulescausesagreatdealofinconvenience。Thegymnasiumisequippedwithaverybeautifulswimmingtankofcementandmarble，thegiftofaformergraduate。Myroom-mate，MissMcBride，hasgivenmeherbathing-suit（itshranksothatshecannolongerwearit） andIamabouttobeginswimminglessons。 Wehaddeliciouspinkice-creamfordessertlastnight。 Onlyvegetabledyesareusedincolouringthefood。Thecollegeisverymuchopposed，bothfromaestheticandhygienicmotives，totheuseofanilinedyes。 Theweatheroflatehasbeenideal——brightsunshineandcloudsinterspersedwithafewwelcomesnow-storms。Iandmycompanionshaveenjoyedourwalkstoandfromclasses——particularlyfrom。 Trusting，mydearMr。Smith，thatthiswillfindyouinyourusualgoodhealth，Iremain，Mostcordiallyyours，JerushaAbbott24thAprilDearDaddy，Springhascomeagain！Youshouldseehowlovelythecampusis。 Ithinkyoumightcomeandlookatitforyourself。MasterJerviedroppedinagainlastFriday——buthechoseamostunpropitioustime，forSallieandJuliaandIwerejustrunningtocatchatrain。 Andwheredoyouthinkweweregoing？ToPrinceton，toattendadanceandaballgame，ifyouplease！Ididn’taskyouifImightgo，becauseIhadafeelingthatyoursecretarywouldsayno。Butitwasentirelyregular;wehadleave-of-absencefromcollege，andMrs。 McBridechaperonedus。Wehadacharmingtime——butIshallhavetoomitdetails;theyaretoomanyandcomplicated。 SaturdayUpbeforedawn！Thenightwatchmancalledus——sixofus——andwemadecoffeeinachafingdish（youneversawsomanygrounds！） andwalkedtwomilestothetopofOneTreeHilltoseethesunrise。 Wehadtoscrambleupthelastslope！Thesunalmostbeatus！ Andperhapsyouthinkwedidn’tbringbackappetitestobreakfast！ Dearme，Daddy，Iseemtohaveaveryejaculatorystyletoday; thispageispepperedwithexclamations。 Imeanttohavewrittenalotaboutthebuddingtreesandthenewcinderpathintheathleticfield，andtheawfullessonwehaveinbiologyfortomorrow，andthenewcanoesonthelake，andCatherinePrentisswhohaspneumonia，andPrexy’sAngorakittenthatstrayedfromhomeandhasbeenboardinginFergussenHallfortwoweeksuntilachambermaidreportedit，andaboutmythreenewdresses—— whiteandpinkandbluepolkadotswithahattomatch——butIamtoosleepy。Iamalwaysmakingthisanexcuse，amInot？Butagirls’ collegeisabusyplaceandwedogettiredbytheendoftheday！ Particularlywhenthedaybeginsatdawn。 Affectionately，Judy15thMayDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Isitgoodmannerswhenyougetintoacarjusttostarestraightaheadandnotseeanybodyelse？ Averybeautifulladyinaverybeautifulvelvetdressgotintothecartoday，andwithouttheslightestexpressionsatforfifteenminutesandlookedatasignadvertisingsuspenders。 Itdoesn’tseempolitetoignoreeverybodyelseasthoughyouweretheonlyimportantpersonpresent。Anyway，youmissalot。 Whileshewasabsorbingthatsillysign，Iwasstudyingawholecarfullofinterestinghumanbeings。 Theaccompanyingillustrationisherebyreproducedforthefirsttime。 Itlookslikeaspiderontheendofastring，butitisn’tatall; it’sapictureofmelearningtoswiminthetankinthegymnasium。 Theinstructorhooksaropeintoaringinthebackofmybelt，andrunsitthroughapulleyintheceiling。Itwouldbeabeautifulsystemifonehadperfectconfidenceintheprobityofone’sinstructor。 I’malwaysafraid，though，thatshewilllettheropegetslack，soIkeeponeanxiouseyeonherandswimwiththeother，andwiththisdividedinterestIdonotmaketheprogressthatI otherwisemight。 Verymiscellaneousweatherwe’rehavingoflate。ItwasrainingwhenIcommencedandnowthesunisshining。SallieandIaregoingouttoplaytennis——therebygainingexemptionfromGym。 AweeklaterIshouldhavefinishedthisletterlongago，butIdidn’t。Youdon’tmind，doyou，Daddy，ifI’mnotveryregular？Ireallydolovetowritetoyou;itgivesmesucharespectablefeelingofhavingsomefamily。Wouldyoulikemetotellyousomething？ YouarenottheonlymantowhomIwriteletters。Therearetwoothers！IhavebeenreceivingbeautifullonglettersthiswinterfromMasterJervie（withtypewrittenenvelopessoJuliawon’trecognizethewriting）。Didyoueverhearanythingsoshocking？ Andeveryweekorsoaveryscrawlyepistle，usuallyonyellowtabletpaper，arrivesfromPrinceton。AllofwhichIanswerwithbusiness-likepromptness。Soyousee——Iamnotsodifferentfromothergirls——Igetletters，too。 DidItellyouthatIhavebeenelectedamemberoftheSeniorDramaticClub？Veryrechercheorganization。Onlyseventy-fivemembersoutofonethousand。DoyouthinkasaconsistentSocialistthatIoughttobelong？ Whatdoyousupposeisatpresentengagingmyattentioninsociology？ Iamwriting（figurezvous！）apaperontheCareofDependentChildren。 TheProfessorshuffleduphissubjectsanddealtthemoutpromiscuously，andthatfelltome。C’estdrolecan’estpas？ Theregoesthegongfordinner。I’llpostthisasIpassthebox。 Affectionately，J。 4thJuneDearDaddy，Verybusytime——commencementintendays，examinationstomorrow; lotsofstudying，lotsofpacking，andtheoutdoorworldsolovelythatithurtsyoutostayinside。 Butnevermind，vacation’scoming。Juliaisgoingabroadthissummer—— itmakesthefourthtime。Nodoubtaboutit，Daddy，goodsarenotdistributedevenly。Sallie，asusual，goestotheAdirondacks。 AndwhatdoyouthinkIamgoingtodo？Youmayhavethreeguesses。 LockWillow？Wrong。TheAdirondackswithSallie？Wrong。 （I’llneverattemptthatagain;Iwasdiscouragedlastyear。） Can’tyouguessanythingelse？You’renotveryinventive。 I’lltellyou，Daddy，ifyou’llpromisenottomakealotofobjections。 Iwarnyoursecretaryinadvancethatmymindismadeup。 IamgoingtospendthesummerattheseasidewithaMrs。CharlesPatersonandtutorherdaughterwhoistoentercollegeintheautumn。 ImetherthroughtheMcBrides，andsheisaverycharmingwoman。