34 LOUJS A(',ASSIZ. [CHAP. xiv. 



Mrs. Felton's second sister, Miss Elizabeth C. Gary, 

 had always felt a great admiration for the rare gifts of 

 Agassiz as a public lecturer since his first course of 

 lectures at the Lowell Institute, and as she was a con- 

 stant visitor at her sister's house, a friendship soon 

 sprang up between Agassiz and her which in due time 

 on his part changed into courtship. 



After the return of Agassiz from Philadelphia, the 

 engagement was announced, the marriage taking place 

 at King's Chapel early in the spring of 1850. 



It was certainly the best thing Agassiz ever did in 

 the course of his whole life. 



However, at first the news of the engagement did not 

 please Agassiz's old friend, M. Christinat, and his Swiss 

 family. With Agassiz's habit of spending money lav- 

 ishly in every direction, Christinat and Mrs. Agassiz, 

 the mother, thought that if he married again he ought to 

 marry a very rich wife, able to support a great establish- 

 ment, as his salary would never be sufficient to carry 

 out one-tenth part of the schemes of which his head 

 was always full. Miss Gary had no fortune of her own, 

 and Christinat, although very favourably impressed by 

 the young lady, opposed the marriage, because he 

 thought that instead of helping Agassiz, it would add 

 a new burden and be the occasion of additional expense. 

 As soon as he saw that the engagement was concluded, 

 Christinat resolved to leave Cambridge, being unwilling 

 to witness the marriage; and, therefore, in November, 

 1849, secretly, without a word to Agassiz, who was 

 absent on a lecturing tour in Massachusetts, he left 



