1840-42. NEW CLASSES BEGUN. 123 



that put sleep for a long while out of the question. My 

 ankles, therefore, to your head, tie us neck and heel 

 together, and we would sympathise famously ; as that can- 

 not be very conveniently done at present, you must take 

 the heart's sympathy in lieu thereof. 



" I have at last seen in the ' Athenaeum ' your work 

 announced, and shall look out for it. I hope things mend 

 a little, and the clouds break up ; still I fear you are like 

 myself trading on the future. I have begun new classes j 

 have got six pupils, one of whom, poor soul, begged a 

 ticket, a deserving widow's son ; it did me good in my 

 present dreariness to be able to give him one. Of the 

 remaining five one has paid me, the others have requested 

 to be excused doing so for some time to come, which is 

 a very pleasant thing for a poor debtor." 



To his cousin James, he says, 



" February 20, 1842. 



" I do not think you will accuse me of Sabbath desecra- 

 tion because I spend a portion of this Sunday evening in 

 writing to you. Your letter to Mary, and a statement to Mr. 

 Cairns, lead me to lose no delay in assuring you that the 

 evils of our present sickness have been exaggerated to you, 

 especially in so far as I am concerned. I have, indeed, 

 for the last fortnight, been lamed by my rheumatism settling 

 in my ankles and knees, and making locomotion irksome 

 and even painful ; but, on the whole, my general health is 

 decidedly better, and my energy and cheerfulness greatly 

 superior to what they were at Christmas. The old gentle- 

 man had seen me limping, which in part resulted from my 

 having leeched and bandaged my ankle that morning; 

 but he also saw me eat a hearty dinner, and might have 



