
          of friends whom she knows, I love and esteem
 so highly, & who will as I am well convinced, 
 be still glad to hear from me. Indeed, she has,
 for some time past, threatened that she would
 write, herself, if I did not. Urged alike by
 her proper reasoning, & my own conscience,
 I determined to try if forgiveness might follow
 the expression of contrition, but I waited until
 a certain happy expectation might, by it's [i.e. its]
 fulfilment [sic] afford me, at least, a pretext for
 making my peace. That time has arrived. 
 Three weeks ago, my dear wife became the
 happy mother of a nice little girl (my first!)
 & both are doing as well as ever any anxious 
 heart could wish. Mamma comes down
 stairs to dinner, for the first time, today, but
 has been in the drawing-room, for several
 days past. I trust that I am thankful,
 how ever inadequately, for the happiness of
 which I am keenly sensible, but really I
 find it almost impossible to reconcile the
 altered position in which, by the kind providence
 of GOD, I am placed. The past two
 years of my life have been a continued romance;
 and now that the battered and gnarled
 old tree should be putting forth a bright
 & vigourous offset, appears to be absolutely
        