1840-42. VACUOUS BRAIN-PANS. 279 



the house. But, after all, a child is a tertium quid, and has a 

 right to a new and perfectly original set of features. Her eyes 

 are, without exception, the most beautiful I ever saw ; and time 

 will perfect her charms, not impair them, I feel sure. I am 

 very proud to have such a lovely god-daughter, but I make little 

 progress in her good esteem. I have crowed and chuckled, and 

 whistled and sung, but the only return she makes for my ad- 

 vances is to put on a face like a Chimpanzee ; and I have at 

 length, from fear of marring her beauty, given up all active at- 

 tempts at diverting her. I now content myself with handing 

 her a piece of paper, over which she smiles like an angel. 

 Nature, in truth, has been far kinder, I can see, to little babies 

 than leave them dependent for their amusement on bachelor 

 uncles or anybody else ; and Ann manifestly only needs to be 

 left alone to develop abundant means of self- diversion. Yours, 



" GEORGE." 



" MONDAY, June 27, 1842. 



" MY DEAR JAMES, I have not used you well in the way of 

 writing ; you should have heard from me before this. But for 

 the greater part of the last five weeks I have not been in a con- 

 dition favourable to scribbling, and my eyes inflaming not only 

 prevented me writing, but by occupying Jessie in reading to me, 

 cut short your correspondents. It was on various occasions re- 

 solved that Jessie should write you ; but I was so unconscionable 

 in my demands on her time, that the resolutions never became 

 realities. Now that I am on the sofa, I feel such shame at my 

 behaviour, that I begin an epistle, though with such a vacuum 

 in my brain-box that, unless I hook up a thought or two out of 

 the ink-bottle, I do not see how I shall cover the blank paper 

 before me. But speaking of vacuous brain-pans, I may record for 

 your edification the reply of a singularly stupid man, who hap- 

 pening lately to visit Y. (who had been drinking the night be- 

 fore), heard him complaining of feeling a vacuity in his head, 

 and was asked if ever he felt the same ? No, was his reply. 

 Did you never ? asked the sly rogue. No, never felt any vacuity. 

 I have suggested, as the only explanation, that his skull is so 

 very empty as .to be devoid of even a grain of sensorium ; not 



