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No one can imagine how delighted and surprised I was at the sight of this epistle. Long ago I ceased to wonder at the magnitude of Helen's achievements; but, with all my faith in the vastness of her abilities, I was not quite prepared to believe that she would succeed in accomplishing in three months what no child in America in full possession of his faculties would be expected to do in less than a year. The thing seems incredible; yet the proof before us is so clear and convincing that it does not leave room for the slightest doubt.

The French composition was accompanied by the following letter: --

MY DEAR MR. ANAGNOS : -- You will laugh when you open your little friend's letter, and see all the queer mistakes she has made in French; but I think you will be pleased to know that I can write even a short letter in French. It makes me very happy to please you and my dear teacher. I wish I could see your little niece Amelia. I am sure we should love each other. I hope you will bring some of Virginia Evanghelides's poems home with you, and translate them for me.

Teacher and I have just returned from our walk. It is a beautiful day. We met a sweet little child. She was playing on the pier with a wee brother. She gave me a kiss and then ran away, because she was a shy little girl.

I wonder if you would like to have me tell you a pretty dream which I had a long time ago when I was a very little child? Teacher says it was a day-dream, and she thinks you would be delighted to hear it. One pleasant morning, in the beautiful springtime, I thought I was sitting on the soft grass under my dear mother's window, looking very earnestly at the rose-bushes which were growing all around me. It was quite early, the sun had not been up very long; the birds were just beginning to sing joyously. The flowers were still asleep. They would not awake until the sun had smiled lovingly upon them. I was a very happy little child, with rosy cheeks and large blue eyes, and the most beautiful golden ringlets you can imagine. The fresh morning air blew gently in my face, as if to welcome me and be my merry playmate, and the sun looked at me with a warm and tender smile. I clapped my chubby hands for joy when I saw that the rose-bushes were covered with lovely buds. Some were red, some were white, and others were delicate pink, and they were peeping out from between the green leaves like beautiful fairies. I had never seen anything so lovely before, for I was very young, and I could not remember how pretty the roses had been the summer before. My little heart was filled with a sweet joy, and I danced around the rose-bushes to show my delight. After a while I went very near to a beautiful white rose-bush, which was completely covered with buds and sparkling with dewdrops; I bent down one of the branches with a lovely pure white bud upon it, and kissed it softly many times. Just then I felt two loving arms steal gently around me, and loving lips kissing my eyelids, my cheeks and my mouth, until I began to think it was raining kisses, and at last I opened my eyes to see what it all meant, and found it was my precious mother, who was bending over me, trying to kiss me awake. Do you like my day-dream? If you do, perhaps I will dream again for you some time.

Teacher and all of your friends send you their love. I shall be so glad when you come home, for I greatly miss you. Please give my love to your good Greek friends, and tell them that I shall come to Athens some day. Lovingly, your little friend and playmate,

HELEN A. KELLER.

This letter is filled with exquisite imagery; it is replete with vivid pictorial metaphor, and is charged with pathos and poetic thought. It is the perfect fruit of Helen's ripening mind, with all the perfume and beauty of the unfolding flower upon it. Queen Olga of Greece, having been informed of its contents by an Athenian lady, expressed a desire to read it, and during its perusal she was so deeply touched that tears flowed unceasingly from her eyes. These glistening drops, coming as they did from the depth of her heart, were more precious than all the solid gems which could be crowded on her diadem. Like diamonds of the first water they shine most brilliantly on the crown of philanthropy, which she has won by her broad and warm sympathy with all classes of sufferers and by many deeds of benevolence, and which she wears with proverbial modesty. Kind thoughts and humane feelings are better than coronets, and the prerogatives of unselfish and unostentatious charity are grander and more permanent than those of royalty; for neither social discontent and popular fury, nor political conspiracies and military disloyalty and treason, can abrogate and annul them.

At my urgent request Miss Marrett has kindly consented to write a full account of the methods which she employed in teaching Helen, and of the great earnestness which the child displayed in studying a new language. Here is her story.

"Will you teach me French?" These were the words which Helen's fingers rapidly spelled to me one day, as we sat at the dinner-table, while her sweet face reflected all the eager longing which had suggested the question, and which made but one answer possible.