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The only other instance of ill-temper which I have to notice is contained in the following extract,and it will be seen that it was kindly and judiciously treated.

Tuesday, January 16th. Laura continued to do well in Arithmetic this morning. Yesterday she went to see Miss J. in Boston, and while the I was away, commenced fault-finding: Eunice was wrong because she had gone into the kitchen; Frank was wrong because he came over J's stairs to find Rogers. To each of these charges, which were evidently made, that she might blame them, -- Miss J. said she was very glad they came. She then said I was not right since I put my dress on the bed. These were only a few of the cases. About three months ago, she did the same thing, and I talked with her a long time about it until I thought she saw the wrong, and felt sorry for it. When I called for her to take her home, she wanted to talk with me, but I told her I could not talk; that J. said she been unkind and wanted her to think about it. She said no more and soon after we got home it was time for her to go to bed. This morning at nine I told her I wanted to talk about it. She looked very sad, when I asked her to tell me, what she told J. In all the charges against Eunice and Frank, -- I showed her where they were both right in doing what they did, -- in reply to those she brought against myself -- I told her of some careless things which she did yesterday when preparing to walk; -- such as pulling a dress down and leaving it on the floor, -- a closet door open, &c., and asked her if she would like to have me go to J. and tell of them, that she might blame her; and when I said that I shut the door, and hung up the dress, she answered, "you were very kind, I was very unkind." I talked with her some time to convince her, how often she might tell her wrong stories, by blaming people for things she did not know about. She said "whose people did I blame?" I did not understand what she meant, and answered, you blamed many people. "I blamed the Lord's people," said she. I was surprised to hear this, and asked, what does Lord's mean -- "God's -- I saw it in a book;" and she showed me in "the Child's Second Book" the Commandments, "I am the Lord thy God," &c. She said "how can I ask God to forgive me for blaming his people?" You can ask him in your thoughts." "Can I know when he forgives the -- how can I know? He will give you good thoughts: -- The next hour was for writing, -- she came to me and said, "I have asked God to forgive me and I hope I shall not be unkind." She then seated herself to write, but it was a long time before she could do so. I took a seat at a short distance from her and tried to read her conversation with herself, her soliloquy. She said to herself, "I am very sorry." "Dr. said he preferred to teach me himself." "Why can I not know? It makes me very nervous." There was much more that I could not read.

Jan. 17th. At nine gave her a lesson in Philosophy on the Lever. She seemed to understand the three kinds -- so that she could tell me what kind I used when taking coals with tongs, and ashes with the shovel, shutting a door, &c., and in more lessons will do very well. After the lesson, she said "I think God has sent me good thoughts, I am very happy to day, I do not feel cross any." I asked why she kissed me so much; she said because I love you so much; you are very kind to teach me many new things."

The soliloquy mentioned above is only a specimen of what occurs every day, though it is rarely that one can make out what she says, because her fingers move with such rapidity as to run the signs into each other, as we unite words with each other, and speak by whole sentences rather than by single words.

Sometimes her acts and expressions furnish themes as interesting to the poet as to the philosopher. On new-year's day when I was in Europe, she met her teacher and said, "It is new happy year day." The teacher wished her a happy new year, when she turned to the East, and stretching out her hand, said -- "I want Doctor a happy new year;" -- she then paused, and, turning to her teacher, said, "but Doctor cannot know I say so."

I have observed before that she has a constant sense of her relations to space, and is confused, as we are, if she loses the points of her compass.

I have sometimes questioned her about her aesthetical perceptions, but have not obtained any very satisfactory answers. Her ideas of beauty in material things are principally connected with smoothness. A round ball is not more beautiful to her than a square box, provided they are equally smooth. Freshness or newness is indeed an element, but this is evidently derived from the associations with new clothes, new shoes, &c.

With respect to long or short noses, regular or irregular features, she has no thought; and yet it is probable that a monstrously large nose would shock her, and that one as short as Dr. Slop's would amuse her; for on my asking how she would like a person with a nose not larger than a pea, she said it would be "funny."