112 ELIZABETH GARY AGASSIZ 



"call my neighbors in." Somehow or other since I re- 

 turned to Cambridge the frost of New England begins 

 to settle over me, and I am afraid that no amount of 

 tea will make people sociable. However I 'm going to 

 begin tomorrow with a judicious selection of Cam- 

 bridge neighbors and a sprinkling of Boston, and see 

 how I fare. 



March 10 

 I HAVE set up a teakettle and called my neighbors in, 

 as I threatened in my last letter, and greatly to my sur- 

 prise my neighbors came and seemed to have a good 

 time. I can hear Sallie say that it 's another reason for 

 gratitude in being out of Cambridge, if Lizzie is going 

 to undertake to have tea-parties. Sisterly affection 

 would oblige her to come and how she would hate it! 

 Emma would like it and be all ready to help me. 



Yesterday we dined at Tom Appleton's [the broth- 

 er-in-law of Longfellow]. The dinner, by the way, 

 was given to us in honor of the Brazilian book, 

 and one of the ornaments was a very brilliant Bra- 

 zilian parrot in ice, with a superb crimson sherbet 

 head and every conceivable shade done in various 

 kinds of water ice. It was a very pretty device and 

 made a great deal of fun. Tom Appleton has been 

 very sympathetic about the book — "Such a charm- 

 ing book," he says, "and so ladylike." 



Nahant, September 5, 1868 

 Agassiz, I suppose, is now in Denver. It was hard 

 for me to make up my mind to his going without me. 



