240 LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

row ? There are many agreeable memories, but so manythat are tender and lively, that I can scarcely supportthem : those that are associated with you are of thisnumber. Can you not understand their effect on myheart? My young trees are surprisingly beautiful.Pilois (her gardener) raises them to the sky with anadmirable straightness. Really, nothing can be morebeautiful than the avenues you saw planted. You re-member that I gave you an appropriate device : hereis one I carved on a tree for my son, who has returnedfromCandia: Vago di fama. Is it not pretty to say somuch in a single word ? Yesterday I had carved, inhonour of the indolent, Bella cosa far niente. Alas,dear child, how rustic my letters are! Where is thetime when 1 could speak, as others do, of Paris ? Youwill receive only news of myself; and such is my con-fidence, that I am persuaded that you will like theseletters as well as my others. The society I have herepleases me much. Our abbe (the abbe de Coulanges,her uncle, who resided constantly with her) is alwaysdelightful. My son and La Mousse (a relation of M.de Coulanges) suit me extremely, and I suit them.We are always together; and, when business takes mefrom them, they are in despair, and think me very sillyto prefer a farmer’s account to a tale of La Fontaine.”— “Your brother is a treasure of folly, and is de-lightful here. We have sometimes serious conversations,by which he may profit; but there is something ofwhipped cream in his character: with all that, he isamiable.”—“We are reading Tasso with pleasure. Ifind myself an adept, through the good masters I had.My son reads “ Cleopatra ” (a romance of Calprenede) toLa Mousse ; and, in spite of myself, I listen, and findamusement. My son is setting off for Lorraine : hisabsence will give me much ennui. You know howsorry I am to see agreeable company depart; and youhave been witness, also, to my transports of joy when Isee a carriage drive away with that which restrainedand annoyed me ; and how' this caused us to decide that.