IO4 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, vm 



so gentle. He enters into all our feelings so ardently that 

 I do feel him a very precious friend, and I wish to God his 

 better health would make me feel more secure of him. He 

 was so unhappy when he thought of leaving us about a 

 fortnight ago by himself, that we proposed going over with 

 him to Pescia, to see if Sismondi was inclined to travel 

 with him to Rome. Sismondi was very glad of the offer, 

 but it was no sooner accepted than William Clifford ap- 

 peared to suffer so much from shyness, that I think he 

 repented he had made it. 



We hoped the last day of his stay with us should have 

 been a snug one, and to our family dinner only Major 

 Langton, Sismondi, and W T . Clifford were invited. But we 

 had not risen from it before two professors and a friend of 

 theirs were announced. One was a decent man, Santi by 

 name, who was satisfied with a visit of an hour long. But 

 the other two remained till 12, during which time the Italian 

 and patience of the whole party was spent. Sismondi went 

 up to the mad professor and told him, as it was very difficult 

 for the ladies longer to support a conversation in a strange 

 language, they must introduce some plays to amuse them. 

 He would not take this as a hint to be gone, tho' it appeared 

 to us broad enough, but entered with great spirit into 

 magical music and blind-man's-buff, which caused our 

 provoked feelings to vent themselves in some hearty fits of 

 laughter. To see our mad and melancholy men so seriously 

 engaged to catch the young ladies made a most ludicrous 

 scene. From Major Langton's 1 long arms it was almost 

 impossible to escape, and the priest made such an inhuman 

 growl that when he came near me, it had something of the 

 effect of horror and fascination. He is now looking over my 

 shoulder, and if he could read what I am writing, he would. 

 This dreadful man promises to visit us every day for the 

 next three months, and Jessie and Fanny will not agree to 

 shut the doors against him, because of the help he may give 

 them in Italian. 



1 Major Laugton was so tall that when he was in a crowd in 

 St. Peter's the Gendarmes ordered him to get down, thinking he 

 must be standing on something. 



