8 ELIZABETH GARY AGASSIZ 



out of town at the time, that he had met Miss Perkins at 

 a tea-party and had heard her sing. "I can't tell you how 

 charmed I was with her voice (which is really divine)," he 

 continues, "with her conversation, with' her manners, 

 indeed I thought her possessed of every quality which man 

 could possibly wish for in woman. Then her little laugh is 

 killing." "I last saw her at the ball given by herself," he 

 writes later, "where she walked among her friends, impart- 

 ing pleasure and gayety to all the young and cheerfulness 

 to those of the 'matured. 5 The next morning I called to say 

 Adieu jusqu'au revoir ! She came down dressed in a red 

 crape, with a handkerchief round her neck; looked all 

 goodness and benignity as usual; gave me her hand, and I 

 took my leave, saying to myself, ' What a happy fellow is 

 this brother of mine ! " The sparkling wit and vivacity of 

 her youth characterized Mary Perkins throughout her life 

 no less than her "goodness and benignity," and her cheer- 

 fulness and affectionate sympathy were among the traits 

 that always endeared her to her friends and were trans- 

 mitted by her to her children. 



It is evident that as in generation after generation of the 

 Gary and Perkins families during two hundred years these 

 distinctive personalities developed, there was accumulating 

 for their descendants a heritage of elevated moral ideals, 

 refinement of taste, executive ability and family affection 

 qualities that continued to live in Mrs. Agassiz. How 

 fine a strain in her character she also inherited directly 

 from her parents, especially from her father, we shall see as 

 we follow the story of her life. 



