Friendship, a dear balm—
Whose coming is as light and music are
Mid dissonance and gloom:—a star
Which moves not mid the moving heavens alone;
A smile among dark frowns; a beloved light;
A solitude, a refuge, a delight.
—Shelley.
Nothing delights the mind so much as true and sweet friendship. What a blessing it is when there are hearts prepared for you in which every secret rests securely, whose knowledge you fear less than your own, whose conversation calms your anxieties, whose opinion aids your plan, whose mirth dispels your sorrow, and whose very sight delights you.