1831-1832] The Death of Fanny Wedgwood 251 



act upon her spirits very much. I do not like that you 

 should be thinking of us as more unhappy than we are. 

 I think we all feel cheerful and susceptible of happiness. I 

 do not expect or wish to miss our Fanny less than we do 

 now. The remembrance of her is so sweet and unmixed 

 with any bitter feeling that it is a pleasure to be put in 

 mind of her in every way. I feel as if it was a very long 

 time since we had lost her, though it is only a month next 

 Monday. I suppose it was from having thought of little 

 besides since then. In looking over her desk, I have found 

 many little journals of happy visits and journeys that we 

 have been together, which are a great comfort and bring 

 them so close to my memory. Sometimes I feel a sad 

 blank at the thoughts of having lost my sweet, gentle com- 

 panion who has been so closely joined with me ever since 

 we were born, but I try to keep my mind fixed upon the 

 hope of being with her again, never to part again. Such a 

 separation as this seems to make the next world feel such 

 a reality it seems to bring it so much nearer to one's mind 

 and gives one such a desire to be found worthy of being 

 with her. Hers has been a gentle, happy life and I think 

 her spirits were weak, and she would not have borne up so 

 well as the rest of us in the sorrows she must have gone 

 through had she remained here. I feel a great pleasure in 

 telling you how faultless she was, tho' I think you know it 

 as well as I do. I remember so many things when she was 

 quite a little girl, which shewed how completely without 

 selfishness she was even then, and she was always ready to 

 give up little things or great ones. I am sure Papa misses 

 his little secretary as he used to call her. She suited him so 

 well. 



I am very sorry you feel so anxious about the cholera. 

 It has been mild at Newcastle and I hope is abating, much 

 more than half recover. There is no fear of it here, as it 

 has not even spread to the Potteries, which are so much 

 nearer. It has been dreadfully bad at Bilston, an iron 

 place not much larger than Newcastle, and hundreds have 

 died in a month. There has been a large subscription for 



