1893-1896J R^lskin and Carlyle 303 



in the Prophets and Psalms, and I enjoyed her abuse of 



Esther 



Augustus Hare's Two Noble Lives is most entertaining 

 and pleasant, though the letters are merely natural, and 

 telling what happens without a spark of wit and humour. 

 The two lovely ladies (Canning and Waterford) had no 

 children, which was a pity for the beauty of the world. It 

 makes one think the " quality " very affectionate and kind- 

 hearted. 



Nov. 5th, 1894. 



I think Mrs F. is an honourable woman now, informing 

 me of what others gave her, and I hope she may escape 

 being corrupted. I will do my best not to help in that. 



I have been reading Waldstein's Ruskin. The admiring 

 part I did not feel up to, but the chapter on social ques- 

 tions delights me as speaking so strongly of his narrow 

 want of sympathy: e.g. in thinking it a real misfortune 

 that railroads should desecrate beautiful places by enabling 

 vulgar people to crowd into them. He couples Carlyle 

 with him in presumption, and says that Ruskin never 

 forgets himself for a second, and then contrasts your father's 

 love of truth and moderation in quite a delightful passage. 



Feb. 5, 1895. 



I believe you would like Mrs Craven if you could skip 

 all the religion. In the year '86 she has exactly our feelings 

 about Ireland and [the] G. O. M.'s mad folly. It always 

 seems to me like boasting when she tells how entirely she 

 feels that God decides everything for her; she should keep 

 that to herself. . . . The French stories by Julliot are dull 

 and odious, and the little novel La Folle du Logis quite pretty 

 and nice. How very odd the French are. 



THE GROVE, Mar. 25, 1893. 



I wonder whether you had our yesterday's storm. It 

 increased in violence all morning and was at its height 

 about two. I looked out to see the trees swaying, and 



