In the letters of the year 1817 and of several following years, even in the letters of the young man to his fiancee, many long references are made to this pump and to the varying success in introducing it into general use.  I shall not, however, refer to it again, and only mention it to show the bent of Morse’s mind towards invention.

He spent some time in the early part of 1817 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, meeting with success in his profession.  Miss Walker was also there visiting friends, so we may presume that his stay was pleasant as well as profitable.

In February of that year he accompanied his fiancee to Charlestown, his parents, naturally, wishing to make the acquaintance of the young lady, and then returned to Portsmouth to finish his work there.

The visit of Miss Walker to Charlestown gave great satisfaction to all concerned.  On March 4, 1817, Morse writes to his parents from Portsmouth:  “I am under the agreeable necessity (shall I say) of postponing my return ... in consequence of a press of business.  I shall have three begun to-night; one sat yesterday (a large one), and two will sit to-day (small), and three more have it in serious contemplation.  This unexpected occurrence will deprive me of the pleasure of seeing you this week at least.”

And on the next day, March 5, he writes:  “The unexpected application of three sitters at a time completely stopped me.  Since I wrote I have taken a first sitting of a fourth (large), and a fifth (large) sits on Friday morning; so you see I am over head and ears in business.”

As it is necessary to a clear understanding of Morse’s character to realize the depth of his religious convictions, I shall quote the following from this same letter of March 5:—­

“I wish much to know the progress of the Revival, how many are admitted next communion, and any religious news.

“I have been in the house almost ever since I came from home sifting the scheme of Universal Salvation to the bottom.  What occasioned this was an occurrence on the evening of Sunday before last.  I heard the bell ring for lecture and concluded it was at Mr. Putnam’s; I accordingly sallied out to go to it, when I found that it was in the Universalist meeting-house.

“As I was out and never in a Universalist meeting, I thought, for mere curiosity, I would go in.  I went into a very large meeting-house; the meeting was overflowing with people of both sexes, and the singing the finest I have heard in Portsmouth.  I was struck with the contrast it made to Mr. Putnam’s sacramental lecture; fifteen or sixteen persons thinly scattered over the house, and the choir consisting of four or five whose united voice could scarcely be heard in the farthest corner of the church, and, when heard, so out of harmony as to set one’s teeth on edge.