"The house of blessed gods which men call skye."
Now I'm going to look out Dr. Kendall's crystal. It must be crystal,[33] for having brought back the light to your eyes.
Brantwood
,
12th July
, 1881.
How delightful that you have that nice Mrs. Howard to hear you say "The Ode to Beauty," and how nice that you can learn it and enjoy saying it! [34] I do not know it myself. I only know that it should be known and said and heard and loved.
I am often near you in thought, but can't get over the lake somehow. There's always somebody to be looked after here, now. I've to rout the gardeners out of the greenhouse, or I should never have a strawberry or a pink, but only nasty gloxinias and glaring fuchsias, and I've been giving lessons to dozens of people and writing charming sermons in the "Bible of Amiens"; but I get so sleepy in the afternoon I can't pull myself over it.
I was looking at your notes on birds yesterday. How sweet they are! But I can't forgive that young blackbird for getting wild again. [35]