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I thank you very much for the beautiful story about Lord Fauntleroy, and so does teacher.

I am so glad that Eva is coming to stay with me this summer. We will have fine times together. Give Howard my love, and tell him to answer my letter. Thursday we had a picnic. It was very pleasant out in the shady woods, and we all enjoyed the picnic very much.

Mildred is out in the yard playing, and mother is picking the delicious strawberries. Father and Uncle Frank are down town. Simpson is coming home soon. Mildred and I had our pictures taken while we were in Huntsville. I will send you one.

The roses have been beautiful. Mother has a great many fine roses. The La France and the Lamarque are the most fragrant; but the Marechal Neil, Solfaterre, Jacqueminot, Nipheots, Etoile de Lyon, Papa Gontier, Gabrielle Drevet and the Perle des Jardines are all lovely roses.

Please give the little boys and girls my love. I think of them every day and I love them dearly in my heart. When you come home from Europe I hope you will be all well and very happy to get home again. Do not forget to give my love to Miss Calliope Kehayia and Mr. Francis Demetrios Kalopothakes.

Lovingly, your little friend, HELEN ADAMS KELLER.

Of all the parts of Europe in which Helen manifests a profound interest, there are two, Greece and Italy, which supply her mind with the most vivid pictures and with ample materials for a great variety of thought. The genial climate of these countries, their picturesque scenery, their classical antiquity, their celebrated monuments and art treasures, and the halo of fame and glory that surrounds them, captivated her fancy and became the warp and woof of some of the finest textures woven by the loom of her intellectual faculties. At the last yearly commencement of the institution, -- which occurred on the first Tuesday of June, and in which she took a most prominent part, -- a brief description of the principal cities and towns of Italy was her chosen theme for the exercise in geography, which had been assigned to her. In speaking of the "land of song and flowers" she used most glowing and poetic language. Her account was given in a vivacious and spirited manner by the medium of dactylology, and was interpreted to an immense audience by the voice of her teacher who stood by her. The fingers of the child moved with the rapidity of lightning, and the words flowed from them at the rate of about eighty per minute, making a steady and continuous stream, not unlike that which is formed by the exodus of the bees from their hives on a pleasant spring day, when the blossoming trees and flowering plants invite them to gorgeous feasts.

The following is the complete text of Helen's recitation: --

Italy is a country rich in beauty, beautiful blue skies, lovely scenery; rich, too, in works of art, -- grand cathedrals, beautiful paintings and statuary; rich, also, in poetry and music. Oh, Italy! lovely Italy! land of song and of flowers! How happy I shall be when I am old enough to visit her great cities, for books and friends' descriptions have made them dear to me! I shall go to Rome first, and touch the many ruins which tell of the power and magnificence of Rome two thousand years ago. I fear I shall be very sad when I touch the ruins of the Pantheon and the Coliseum, but I shall try to forget that I am living hundreds of years after the glories of Rome have vanished. I shall try to imagine that the great generals are passing under the triumphal arches just as they did long ago, when Rome was the "mistress of the world."

There is something in Rome which is not in ruins that will interest me greatly. It is the wonderful, beautiful Basilica. I am sure that when I stand in St. Peter's I shall feel its beauty and majesty, as I feel the grandeur of the mountains when I am near them. The many palaces in Rome will also interest me. The Vatican is the most splendid of all. It is filled with rare works of art, which have been collected and preserved by the different Popes.

I wonder what Romulus would think if he knew that four of the seven hills on which the ancient city was built are now almost deserted; and how very strange it would seem to him to find Rome the peaceful capital of a united Italy.

After Rome, I shall visit Florence. Florence is another of Italy's famous cities. It is situated on both banks of the Arno, in a lovely valley surrounded by mountains. No city in the world has so many beautiful art treasures as Florence, and many of the world's greatest painters, sculptors and architects were her children. Opposite the Duomo, the largest and finest church in Florence, stands the Baptistery, with its beautiful bronze doors. I can hardly believe that mere doors can be so splendid as my friends tell me those of the Baptistery are.

From Florence I shall go to Venice. I like to think that Venice is a beautiful ship at anchor, -- forever rocked and kissed by the gentle waves of the blue Adriatic. Venice is built on a cluster of small islands formed by canals, and connected by bridges. It is a very quiet city, for there are no horses there, except the wonderful bronze horses over the entrance to the San Marco. The gondolas glide lightly and gracefully along the canals, flitting under the great bridges like silent birds.