74 AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND 



that besides being a Kepublican ! that I had a wife and 

 several children in France. ... and. the rest of the 

 eulogy ran in the same direction. Was not such a 

 recommendation fit to help me in winning the heart 

 of that woman ? However, she listened to the advice 

 but continued to correspond with me, without giving 

 me information of the ' ' platonic wife and children ;" 

 but she wrote me about some things she wanted to 

 know. I answered the letter immediately, with the 

 alacrity of a lover lona fide ! but at the same time a 

 little wounded in his dignity. I wrote a letter of four 

 pages of large paper, where I gave a rapid sketch of 

 my life (not as this one I am writing to-day, but one 

 that would carry conviction in any soul who would 

 have had a doubt). I have that letter yet, and many 

 others from both of us. As she had received that let- 

 ter and just done reading it, the lady friend ! f came, 

 while she had the letter in her hands. She said, Miss 

 Jackson ! notwithstanding what we have told you, you 

 continue to correspond with that man ! f ! f The Miss 

 Jackson, the timid lird, but with a strong mind, an- 

 swered her, yes, madam ! I have ; and I was going to 

 show you the letter, to read it with care ; then to give 

 me your impression, after reading it ; and according to 

 your answer I shall break the correspondence or con- 

 tinue it. Please read on. It must have taken her at 

 least half an hour to read it, because it had been writ- 



