Saturday.—­I went to Yonkers with M. and H. to spend the day with Mrs. B. Her children are sweet and interesting as ever; but little Maggie, now three years old, is the “queen of the house.”  She is a perfect specimen of what a child should be—­gladsome, well, bright, and engaging.  Her cheeks are rosy and shining, and she keeps up an incessant chatter.  They are all wild about her, from papa and mamma down to the youngest child.

* * * * *

II.

Home-Life in Dorset.

DORSET, June 10, 1870.

Here we are again in dear old Dorset.  We got here about ten on Wednesday evening, expecting to find the house dark and forlorn, but Mrs. F. had been down and lighted it up, and put on the dining-table bread, biscuits, butter, cakes, eggs, etc., enough to last for days.  Thursday was hotter than any day we had had in New York, and not very good, therefore, for the hard work of unpacking, and the yet harder work of sowing our flower-seeds in a huge bed shaped like a palm-leaf.  But, with M.’s help, it was done before one o’clock to-day—­a herculean task, as the ground had to be thoroughly dug up with a trowel; stones, sticks, and roots got out, and the earth sifted in our hands.  The back of my neck and my ears are nearly blistered.  M. is standing behind me now anointing me with cocoa butter.  Our place looks beautifully.  Some of the trees set out are twelve or fifteen feet high, and when fully leaved will make quite a show.  Papa is to be here about ten days, as he greatly needs the rest; he will then go home till July 1st, when he will bring Jane and Martha.  I told Martha I thought it very good of Maria to be willing to come with me, and she said she did not think it needed much goodness, and that anybody would go with me anywhere.  The boys have a little black and tan dog which Culyer gave them, and M.’s bird is a fine singer.  Our family circle now consists of

Pa Prentiss, Ma " Min.”  Geo. " Hen. " Maria " (horse) Coco " (cow) Sukey " (dog) Nep " (bird) Cherry "

We never saw Dorset so early, and when the foliage was in such perfection.

Last Tuesday I reached our door perfectly and disgracefully loaded with parcels, and said to myself, “I wonder what Mr. M. would say if he saw me with this load?” when instantly he opened the door to let me in!  Account for this if you can.  Why should I have thought of him among all the people I know?  Did his mind touch mine through the closed door?  It makes me almost shudder to think such things can be.  Well, I must love and leave you.  I am going to have a small basket on the table in the hall with ferns, mosses, and shells in it.  They all send love from Pa Prentiss down to Sukey.  What a pity you could not come home for the summer and go back again!  I believe I’ll go to your bedroom door and say, “I wonder whether Annie would shriek out if she saw me in this old sacque, instead of her pretty one?” and perhaps you’ll open and let me in.  Will you or won’t you?  Now I’m going to ride.