[Lydia] Maria [Child] ALS to [Louisa Loring and Ellis Gray Loring], May 14, 1849

New York, May 14th, 1849

Dear Friends,

The memory of your visit stands forth, a
bright little flowering Oasis in the pathway of the past. When the
future looks cloudy, I turn back to it, and am refreshed. It is
peculiarly pleasant to entertain angel guests when we do not do it
unawares. I am better myself than I was before, because you are
so good. When the hereditary gloomy spirit croaks in my ear, "Lo, thou
art all alone in the world. Who would miss thee if thou wert to
die?" I box his ears, and say, "Away with thee, thou malicious
imp. Thou lyest in thy throat; for I know it is pleasant to Ellis
and Louise to think I am in the same world with them; and I will
never again believe otherwise, say what thou wilt." So he finds it is
no use to come, and he stays away with his lugubrious face.

The next day after you left, Henrietta Sargent
came, on her way from Washington, with Mrs. John Parker. I
called at the hotel, and met the wealthy widow, for the first
time during many years. I was struck with the different points
of view from which we were looking at society. The imminent
peril of the rich seemed to occupy all her thoughts. I gathered
from her conversation that there was no security for life or
property in Massachusetts. Nine hundred boys made it the
only business of their lives to burn barns, and judges and
juries pronounced it merely a phrenological fancy for fire,
a misdirected developement of a sparkling faculty. Dwelling-
-houses were safe for the time being, on account of capital pun-
-ishment for burning them; but there were so many philanthro-
-pists about, unwilling to have anybody punished for anything,

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Remember me affectionately to John and Augusta, and Judy, and all the family.

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I want to see you all so much,
that sometimes it seems as if I
could not wait. But I must
finish my ponderous tome first.

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