UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 257 



permitted to listen to much reading or even con- 

 versation. I should have thought that a person 

 who is so active in general, would have been 

 doubly sensible of the weight of idle time. But 

 her mind has such various stores of knowledge, 

 deep and light, that she never can be in want of 

 novelties to employ it ; to-day I was allowed to stay 

 with her for some time, and she repeated to me 

 some beautiful moral reflections, as well as some 

 lighter poetical compositions on which she had 

 employed her mind last night. It is thus she be- 

 guiles the wakeful hours, and habituates hersel* 

 to think more slightly of the sufferings which she 

 sometimes endures. 



, Sunday. My dear aunt is certainly 

 much better. By her desire I was permitted 

 to take care of her while the rest of the family 

 went to church ; and I was thus left sole guar- 

 dian of this good patient, so precious to us ajl. 



Immediately after they went away, she fel 

 into a gentle slumber, and as I had not provided 

 myself with a book, and was fearful of disturbing 

 her by walking to the book-case, I sat quietly near 

 the bed, so that I could watch her. For want of 

 other employment I amused myself with com- 

 paring my former with my present life ; and 

 though on the whole they are very different, 

 there is one point, dear mamma, in which they 

 are perfectly similar for the friends I am now 



Z 3 



