126 ALEXANDER AGASSIZ 



Mrs. Louis Agassiz took up the shattered remnants 

 of the broken home, and presided over the Quincy 

 Street house for the rest of her long life, always ten- 

 derly guarded by her stepson from the outside world 

 and fondly cared for in her declining years. The family 

 consisted of three little boys, " none of whom inherited 

 from his father or grandfather any scientific tastes." 

 These children Mrs. Agassiz brought up with the lov- 

 ing hand of a true mother ; not always an easy task, for 

 during the long absences of their father these healthy 

 young savages were sometimes a troublesome charge, 

 and must have caused their beloved grandmother many 

 an anxious hour. 



Under the shock of his terrible double blow, Agassiz 

 suffered a relapse of an old malady. The exact nature 

 of this disease was never understood, but the symptoms 

 were distressing and alarming ; and for many years, with 

 few intermissions, he lived in the constant expectation 

 of dropping dead at any moment. 



When he was again able to work, his first occupation 

 was to help his stepmother collect the material for the 

 Life of his father. As he became stronger, his former 

 studies, combined with his desire to continue his father's 

 interests, left him but little time. Thus the work on the 

 Life fell to Mrs. Agassiz, and his share in the book was 

 limited to advice and criticism. 



TO ERNST HAECKEL 



Cambridge, Jan. 28, 1874. 



Your kind note written soon after father's death 



finds me overwhelmed by a still greater sorrow which 



has fallen upon me like a thunder-clap out of a clear 



sky. I had the misfortune a few days after father's 



