Francis William Lauderdale Adams

“ Here the Journal has a single entry:
'O Claire, Claire, that we should have met here in the time of eternity, and so parted! Claire, Claire! Oh, it is a vile devil's earth, and good is only in the slave. To have held thee in my arms, and, with my eyes in thine, to have kissed thee once, and died. Death were sweet so.—But it is useless to think. This city is a market where souls are pledged for bodies, and bodies for souls, and wealth buys all. I will go out from it. Useless to think, useless to think!'
It was a few days after this that Rosy and I went our second evening walk together. ”

“ I soon caught her up, and we walked on side by side in silence; till I observed:
'I'm sorry I was rude—if I was rude.'
'Then you were rude then!' said Rosy, tossing her head a little.
'Rudeness implies deliberation,' I said, 'now the best definition of sin is: the deliberately doing anything that may harm anyone else. Thus, it is sin to buy a pistol, intending to kill, and then absolutely killing a man: or, to ruin your body by excess, intending to beget, and then absolutely begetting, children.'
'You talk great stuff!' said Rosy. ”

“ After a little I said:
'Lady, it seemeth unto mine uncultured ear that thou warblest the melody of which men say the venerable vaccine one rendered up the ghost. Now——'
'You're very cruel!' she suddenly sobbed. 'And I hate you. Why do you go on at me like that?... (The rest inarticulate.)
'God bless our souls!' cried I, standing still, 'if——' And I proceeded in a brotherly way to comfort her. And so at last got her in a rather limp state to No. 3, where we said a final good-night after I had promised to write and tell her when I could get time to go for another walk. ”