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when she would not forgive her sister for the slightest step aside from the path she trod herself. Is it that because, where a man is concerned, there is always a possibility of ownership, or ownership itself, that could never exist with others of her own age and sex, that makes her forgiving on the ground that, what is mine is best? - I wonder.

I cannot imagine that you have been all these years alone with an unspeakable grief, you, with your helping hand, your infinite tenderness and smiling encouragement for others. Oh, the pity of it!

One's first impression of the earth is that it is large, mountains seem high, rivers seem broad, - it is a mistake. The earth in the universe is less than a pin-point, and on its surface is but one big thing, and that is mankind's capacity for suffering. You

cannot overrate suffering, it is limitless. In days gone by the law limited the sum possible to be recovered by survivors for the loss of a member of the family to five thousand dollars. You might lose both eyes and recover fifty thousand dollars. There was a limit to death in the eye of the law, but none to suffering.

Your letter has accomplished that which you intended. I am less lonely. As you know there is no room in my heart for aught but love of her, but to it is attached a pendant of unspeakable value- - your friendship. You are indeed made in the image of God. Thank you this time for no word of condemnation. There is too much condemnatory criticism in the world and too little praise. With us criticism is always censure. There are more men who can be encouraged by a word of appreciation than

can be driven to greater effort by a curse. I am so glad that you approve of my having told you the whole story and left nothing in reserve. An expressio falsi is bad, a suppresio veri is worse, but a half truth is the worst of all. The intention to deceive is so apparent.

As for me, I have been broken on the wheel of passion. It does seem sometimes as if the Lord's punishments were in excess of the crime. Has my life of rectitude in the past no favour in His eyes? How many virtues does it take to equal one fault, and how many people have asked themselves this same question? One's debit and credit account never seem to balance, the bookkeeping in heaven is complicated. All I know is that the breech-block at the base of my brain is loosened, the rivets of my whole moral nature rattle and I long for peace.

The love of peace may be an acquired taste, for some of the natural-born fighters of the world, but it is easily acquired; all you need is the commonest of things, just trouble all your life. I get no rest, for I seem to be in a state of vibration as the result of a great shock; indeed, this is a world of unrest. I believe even inanimate things suffer from vibration, - a rock is jarred by the heating of the earth's heart, ah! but how a great boulder fills you with respect! - something to which a thousand years is as a split second. Do not mind if my letter seems disjointed. I am writing more for my sake than for yours. I must be disjointed, for mentally I have fallen apart. This will rectify itself in time, I suppose, so I will not add to your worries. The acme of all selfishness is to add to a real trouble an imaginary or ephemeral grievance. I was

talking to a man to-day, and I knew by something he said he expected me to laugh. I did so. You watch an infant — it smiles

you say to yourself, Ah, but the angels who can talk the only language it can understand are great wits! But the nurse says no. What you think is a smile, is caused by colic. That is the way I smiled to him, for I have colic of the heart. After all, life is a diminuendo of laughs. I used to laugh a great deal, but if I tried now, I would feel as foolish as a man who ventured to sing without a voice.

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So you see I cannot laugh, I cannot care, and am as useless to myself and others as a goldfish in a bowl, and to think I once was happy. When next I'm happy, God give me sense to realise it at the time. It may interest you to know I am drinking a little bit again, not in a way that would

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