“You do not deserve, by the way, to be the mother of sons! You want sweet little goody children—girls—who will sit still, and be made fine, always do what they are told (in public!), never make a noise, and be clever, well-informed children, who will answer any question (provided it be given in the form printed in their books), write beautifully, and _spell_ splendidly! Thank goodness! ‘_my_’ child is not one of those dear darling little humbugs. Why, I am quite proud of his writing, and his spelling wants time, of course. How many of Miss F.’s class spell better than he? None, of course. Nor do Nina and May-May spell better. Their French bothers them. Frank is a sensible, well-informed lad for his age, and, above all, he has a desire for knowledge. Education is not reading and writing, but means a desire to acquire information. As for Arthur, he is a darling; kiss him for his Arnie.” “1864. “My dear darling ba-lamb (lioness rather) sister, I hunger and thirst after you and our boy to a painful degree. It is very distressing, but as I grow older I find my heart-strings are really pulled violently by a select few. It is quite painful to have a heart and feel its existence. “God bless you all, prays your loving sister “FANNY.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER IV. FRIENDSHIPS. “A true friend is one that makes us do all we can; those who trust us, educate us.” “To _have_ friends one must _be_ a friend,” was true of this life on both sides. She _was_ a friend, and she _had_ friends in abundance. Of her women-friends we have had full proof, and we may count almost as many men who mourn her loss with feeling scarcely less intense. Many who are less known to fame will echo words like these from some of the leaders in education. The Bishop of Winchester writes of her as “one of the truest, wisest, and ablest women it has ever been my privilege to know and esteem as a friend.” Dr. W. G. Bell, of Cambridge, adds, “Only those who had the privilege of being called her friend realized how faithful she was to her friendships, as well as loyal to the work which was so dear to her.” Dr. Wormell, on hearing of the fatal nature of her illness, speaks from a full heart— “The news you give me fills me with sadness. Miss Buss gave me her helping hand and cheering smile when I had few friends, and had scarcely crept from obscurity. It is not easy for me to say what is the depth and length and breadth of my affection for her—in all dimensions it is beyond measure. I grieve as one who suffers irreparable loss, and can scarcely ask myself what of others who have been closer to her?” Dr. Hiron says that—