the highest vitality and great self-confidence.  She was self-indulgent, though not selfish, and had not enough self-control for her passion and impetuosity; it was owing more to dash and grit than to any foresight that she kept out of difficulties.  She distrusted the dried-up advice of many people, who prefer coining evil to publishing good.  She was lacking in awe, and no respecter of persons; loving old people because she never felt they were old.  Warm-hearted, and with much power of devotion, thinking no trouble too great to take for those you love, and agreeing with Dr. Johnson that friendships should be kept in constant repair.  Too many interests and too many-sided.  Fond of people, animals, books, sport, music, art and exercise.  More Bohemian than exclusive and with a certain power of investing acquaintances and even bores with interest.  Passionate love of Nature.  Lacking in devotional, practising religion; otherwise sensitively religious.  Sensible; not easily influenced for good or evil.  Jealous, keen and faithful in affection.  Great want of plodding perseverance, doing many things with promise and nothing well.  A fine ear for music:  no execution; a good eye for drawing:  no knowledge or practice in perspective; more critical than constructive.  Very cool and decided with horses.  Good nerve, good whip and a fine rider.  Intellectually self-made, ambitious, independent and self-willed.  Fond of admiration and love from both men and women, and able to give it.”

I sent this to Dr. Jowett with another character-sketch of
Gladstone.  After reading them, he wrote me this letter: 

Ball.  Coll.  Oct. 23rd, 1890.

My dear Margot,

I return the book [Footnote:  A commonplace book with a few written sketches of people in it.] which you entrusted to me:  I was very much interested by it.  The sketch of Gladstone is excellent.  Pray write some more of it some time:  I understand him better after reading it.

The young lady’s portrait of herself is quite truthful and not at all flattered:  shall I add a trait or two?  “She is very sincere and extremely clever; indeed, her cleverness almost amounts to genius.  She might be a distinguished authoress if she would—­but she wastes her time and her gifts scampering about the world and going from one country house to another in a manner not pleasant to look back upon and still less pleasant to think of twenty years hence, when youth will have made itself wings and fled away.”

If you know her, will you tell her with my love, that I do not like to offer her any more advice, but I wish that she would take counsel with herself.  She has made a great position, though slippery and dangerous:  will she not add to this a noble and simple life which can alone give a true value to it?  The higher we rise, the more self-discipline, self-control and economy is required of us.  It is a hard thing to be in the world but not of it; to be outwardly much like other people and yet to be cherishing an ideal which extends over the whole of life and beyond; to have a natural love for every one, especially for the poor; to get rid, not of wit or good humour, but of frivolity and excitement; to live “selfless” according to the Will of God and not after the fashions and opinions of men and women.