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we have taken in secluding ourselves from secular affairs (I speak of secularity only in regard to business concerns), and be as sanguine as ourselves as to its salutary results.

Cousin Stephen fell from a scaffolding, and severely injured his shoulder-blade; and, though he is also suffering from sciatica, yet he studies Sanscrit, and writes very satirically. He is really scribatious; and his songs sparkle with sarcasms and satire, against which relationship is no safeguard.

Last Saturday, Steven saturated the hair of my Scotch terrier with salad-oil, and then submerged him, head first, in a brook which runs on the south side of the house.

I came in season to be the little creature's savior. When I took him from the sturdy boy, who was striving to keep him still by holding his nostrils so as to stifle him, the animal had nearly ceased struggling; just then, Susie shouted, "Stop! we are coming;" and six or seven children screamed simultaneously, "We are coming to see Jack baptized." I was about to scold Steven, when he informed me in the most serious, sanctimonious, and sanctiloquent manner, that baptism was necessary for the salvation of poor Jack, who had stolen a staunch piece of steak, for which the cook threatened to scourge him severely. As you may well suppose, my anger was immediately subdued, and I sympathized with the dear child in his childish simplicity and sympathy for the sinner Jack; and, the more so, when I subsequently recollected how hard I had striven to avoid answering his seemingly sceptical questions last Sunday, about Rev.

Mr. Saunders' sermon on the salvability of the souls of men through baptism.

This morning, some one threw a squib into a broken square in my sewing-room, which burst, setting fire to some skeins of stocking yarn: my sister-in-law smothered it, and, singular to say, we cannot discover whence the squib came.

The sketches in the semi-weekly Gazette are scandalous; I have no patience to read them: however, I found a few scraps which may serve you, thus:—

"At one time the Sicilians were supplied with sal-ammoniac sufficient for their apothecary stores from the eruption of Mount Etna."

"Sulphuret of antimony was used in staining the eyebrows of the ladies of Scutari and Salonica: they paid for it in shekels of silver; the value of a shekel was fifty cents."

me.

I must stop, as Susanna is searching the house for Affectionately yours,

LETTER XXXIII.

FROM A. B. TO C. D.

C. D.

TORONTO, October, 1865.

My dear Friend, I am tarrying with Mrs. Taylor, formerly Miss Towne, a teacher. She tells me that travelling in stage-coaches in Tennessee is very tedious. She tried teaching in a planter's family; but as he was tyrannical, and she would not be trifled with, or tyrannized over, she removed to a tavern, where she gave private lessons in trigonometry and

taxidermy, until Mr. Taylor, a tallow-chandler from Tarrytown, brought her here. Though she is quite a technologist, and very thoroughly acquainted with the English language, in which she is always terse, yet she is at times almost taciturn.

nature.

Last Tuesday I was witness to a terrible tumult in Some thought it was the termination of all things terraqueous. In turning round the tannery, with Tristan, we saw the church tower torn off and twirling through the air. Thousands of tadpoles and small fish were thrown on terra-firma; the telegraphic poles were upraised in many places. All in a twinkle, so to say, the thunder roared, the rain fell in torrents, the wind blew tempestuously: I think it must have been a tornado.

I have joined the teetotalers, though I am still a tea-drinker. I have commenced taking lessons on the tambourine. Thaddeus is teasing me to buy a tan-terrier for him. Mr. Twing offered him one thirteen months old, answering to the name of Tray; a charming little thing, which has learned many tricks. How are matters thriving with you? Have you taken the thrashing-machine? Who is the best thrasher among the boys? Is Tabitha as much of a termigant as ever? I wish you could see the tortoise and turtle-doves we have here: they are beautiful. Please send us the Traveller, Tribune, and Transcript; also, some work on Transcendentalism. I am transcribing "Titcomb's Transubstantiation," and when I have finished it, I will trouble you to read it over; also, the copy of "Talbot's Transfiguration," which I forgot to leave with you.

Every thing in my room is tur

psy-turvy since have tied the

I have been writing: the childr chairs together, and are trying to ride tandem. Every now and then they touch Tray to teaze him, and make him twinge. Poor fellow! he has much tribulation with the little tyros. We think of tendering our thanks to the poet Tennyson for the truthfulness of his touching descriptions. Our gentlemen spend

much time in theological discussions; two of them have studied theology; indeed, Thomas is thought to be a good theologian. The children puzzle themselves trying to find out the meaning of the terms which they frequently hear; for example, theocracy, theodicy, theologaster, theomachy, theopneustic. I must acknowledge that I am not so thoroughly versed as to be able to satisfy the talkativeness of three turbulent boys. In haste, yours,

LETTER XXXIV.

FROM C. D. TO A. B.

A. B.

TEWKESBURY, October, 1865.

My dear Friend, — What a tendency some tolerant people have to take the truncheon of command. So you threaten me with what you have transcribed! Tendering you my sincere thanks, permit me to tell you that I prefer my own tranquillity to the tediousness of reading transmundane transactions; besides, I am just now tormented with the fear of being left without a servant. Our trustworthy Tabitha has just made her triennial threat of leaving us; and

this time, it is, a oo true! She is to be married to Mr. Thompson, tobacconist, and sets out on her wedding tour next Thursday. You have always accused her of termagancy; but I assure you she will make a treasure of a wife for a good-tempered man, and be truly a helpmate in his business, for she understands trading and trafficking. She has received a great many useful presents; a tea-set, tidies, trays, tinware, table-linen, etc.; and what pleases her more than all is a trumpet for her husband, who belongs to a troop of trumpeters. Just now she seems to have a tulipomania, and is collecting bulbs from every quarter to plant in the garden of her new tenement. Mother gave her some tuberose bulbs, trumpet-honeysuckle, and thyme roots. To-morrow I shall transmit my testimonial of tenderness, in the form of a towering wedding-cake and thimble-berry wine.) ine.X We were sitting at table to-day, when mother asked a gentleman if he would take turkey, turbot, turbit, or tripe, to which he answered, by asking if we had any "trilobite;" mother replied, we have some "trilobates" in the green-house, and "trilobites" in our museum. This trivial remark introduced several interesting topics of conversation, in which Mr. Twichel, treasurer of the Typographical Society, and trustee of the Thompsonian Institution, took a timely and spirited part. I assure you that he is not only a talented man, but quite a historian: he talked with the same ease of translocations and transitions as of traditions and the Talmud, of tarentulas and tardigrades as of men and their times. From him I

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