Long mayst thou live, the sound to hear
Which most thy heart rejoices,
Of children’s laughter ringing clear,
And children’s merry voices,
Until for thee an angel-hand
Draws back the veil of Wonderland.

One Who Loves “Alice.”

Three letters, written at the beginning of 1886 to Miss Edith Rix, to whom he had dedicated “A Tangled Tale,” are interesting as showing the deeper side of his character:—­

Guildford, Jan. 15, 1886.

My dear Edith,—­I have been meaning for some time to write to you about agnosticism, and other matters in your letter which I have left unnoticed.  And yet I do not know, much as what you say interests me, and much as I should like to be of use to any wandering seeker after truth, that I am at all likely to say anything that will be new to you and of any practical use.

The Moral Science student you describe must be a beautiful character, and if, as you say, she lives a noble life, then, even though she does not, as yet, see any God, for whose sake she can do things, I don’t think you need be unhappy about her.  “When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee,” is often supposed to mean that Nathanael had been praying, praying no doubt ignorantly and imperfectly, but yet using the light he had:  and it seems to have been accepted as faith in the Messiah.  More and more it seems to me (I hope you won’t be very much shocked at me as an ultra “Broad” Churchman) that what a person is is of more importance in God’s sight than merely what propositions he affirms or denies. You, at any rate, can do more good among those new friends of yours by showing them what a Christian is, than by telling them what a Christian believes....

I have a deep dread of argument on religious topics:  it has many risks, and little chance of doing good.  You and I will never argue, I hope, on any controverted religious question:  though I do hope we may see the day when we may freely speak of such things, even where we happen to hold different views.  But even then I should have no inclination, if we did differ, to conclude that my view was the right one, and to try to convert you to it....

Now I come to your letter dated Dec. 22nd, and must scold you for saying that my solution of the problem was “quite different to all common ways of doing it”:  if you think that’s good English, well and good; but I must beg to differ to you, and to hope you will never write me a sentence similar from this again.  However, “worse remains behind”; and if you deliberately intend in future, when writing to me about one of England’s greatest poets, to call him “Shelly,” then all I can say is, that you and I will have to quarrel!  Be warned in time.

    C. L. Dodgson.

    CH.  Ch., Jan. 26, 1886.