’Your affectionate

‘A.  I. N. B.’

One letter more from Lady Byron I give,—­the last I received from her:—­

LONDON, May 3, 1859.

DEAR FRIEND,—­I have found, particularly as to yourself, that, if I did not answer from the first impulse, all had evaporated.  Your letter came by ‘The Niagara,’ which brought Fanny Kemble to learn the loss of her best friend, the Miss F——­ whom you saw at my house.

’Her death, after an illness in which she was to the last a minister of good to others, is a soul-loss to me also; and your remarks are most appropriate to my feelings.  I have been taught, however, to accept survivorship; even to feel it, in some cases, Heaven’s best blessing.

’I have an intense interest in your new novel. {149} More power in these few numbers than in any of your former writings, relating, at least, to my own mind.  It would amuse you to hear my granddaughter and myself attempting to foresee the future of the love-story; being, for the moment, quite persuaded that James is at sea, and the minister about to ruin himself.  We think that Mary will labour to be in love with the self-devoted man, under her mother’s influence, and from that hyper-conscientiousness so common with good girls; but we don’t wish her to succeed.  Then what is to become of her older lover?  Time will show.

’The lady you desired to introduce to me will be welcomed as of you.  She has been misled with respect to my having any house in Yorkshire (New Leeds).  I am in London now to be of a little use to A——­; not ostensibly, for I can neither go out, nor give parties:  but I am the confidential friend to whom she likes to bring her social gatherings, as she can see something of the world with others.  Age and infirmity seem to be overlooked in what she calls the harmony between us,—­not perfect agreement of opinion (which I should regret, with almost fifty years of difference), but the spirit-union:  can you say what it is?

’I am interrupted by a note from Mrs. K——.  She says that she cannot write of our lost friend yet, though she is less sad than she will be.  Mrs. F——­ may like to hear of her arrival, should you be in communication with our friend.  She is the type of youth in age.

’I often converse with Miss S——­, a judicious friend of the W——­s, about what is likely to await them.  She would not succeed here as well as where she was a novelty.  The character of our climate this year has been injurious to the respiratory organs; but I hope still to serve them.

’I have just missed Dale Owen, with whom I wished to have conversed on
spiritualism. {150} Harris is lecturing here on religion.  I do not
hear him praised.

’People are looking for helps to believe, everywhere but in life,—­in music, in architecture, in antiquity, in ceremony; and upon all these is written, “Thou shalt not believe.”  At least, if this be faith, happier the unbeliever.  I am willing to see through that materialism; but, if I am to rest there, I would rend the veil.

’June 1.