HIMSELF AND WILSON. 307 



bestowed, not a condition exacted. All this, my Lydia, 

 might have been said and agreed to without any angry 

 feeling or personal remark; but we are so weak and 

 foolish, my lassie, that we cannot so much as contend for 

 the necessity of imitating Christ without showing by 

 something more conclusive than argument how impos- 

 sible it is for us to imitate Him aright. Perhaps in 

 some of our solitary interviews we may derive some- 

 thing better than amusement from talking over the 

 subject, and something more than ordinary satisfaction 

 in finding that in the more important of our beliefs we 

 cordially agree. However diverse in our tastes, however 

 different in our opinions, however dissimilar in our 

 philosophy, let us at least desire, my own dearest Lydia, 

 to be at one in our religion. Whatever befalls us in 

 the future, whether from the edge of some solitary 

 forest of the west our prayers shall ascend for assistance 

 and protection, or whether in some happy dwelling of our 

 own land they shall rise in gratitude to Him the bene- 

 factor, would it not be well for us, my dearest, that they 

 should rise together addressed to the same God through 

 the same Mediator, and in quite the same way; that each 

 should be employed in seconding the requests of the 

 other, not in internally lodging a protest against them ? 

 Sir Thomas has sent me my manuscript, accom- 

 paned by a brief and exceedingly hurried note from 

 Professor Wilson, in which he promises to write him a 

 letter on the subject in a few days. I must say, I ex- 

 pect very little from the Professor. I question whether 

 he has read my first chapter. Besides, our style and 

 manner of thinking are so very unlike, that I do not 

 well see how he can approve of my writings without 

 passing a sort of tacit censure on his own. He is one 

 of the most diffuse writers of the day ; I am concise. 



