THE LAST YEARS 387 
ask for so little — just to sit in my room and read aloud 
to me— enough to make them quite happy.” And on 
St. Valentine’s Day of the same year she records a, call 
from a young lover, — “It was a Valentine visit; dear little 
fellow, he was so pleased to bring me a bunch of lilies of the 
valley, and he took home as his own Valentine a box of 
very fine paper soldiers.” Flowers, too, never ceased to 
be a delight to her. “Orchids — such heavenly things,” 
“flowers of the most enchanting kind,” “orchids — lilac, 
purest amethyst and pale yellow — a beautiful combina- 
tion’? — these are some of the terms in which she records 
the gifts that gratified her. Her diaries also contain numer- 
ous entries, showing the extent of her reading during much 
of this time, and how greatly she was able to enjoy it. 
January 17, 1905. —I have a great deal of pleas- 
ant reading: Morley’s Gladstone, unfinished. John 
Andrew, brilliant story of an interesting and very 
momentous life. Roma, Maude Elliott —to the last de- 
gree interesting. Norton and Ruskin —a rare friend- 
ship, recorded in letters. Montaigne, Grace Norton — 
from various aspects and points of view, a very schol- 
arly work — a help to any one who would fain be 
better acquainted with Montaigne and his friends, not 
only as men of letters and as men of the world, but as 
companions and co-workers. 
March 8, 1905. — Mimi [Mrs. Theodore Lyman] 
brought me glorious carnations. She sent me the 
Stevenson letters a day or two [ago] and I have been 
reading them ever since; very entertaining. She brought 
me also to read aloud a letter from Alex — There was 
a passage which spoke of our relation to each other 
