Dearest Minnie,   I was very glad to find from your letter the other day that you understood perfectly about the impossibility of BessieGÇÖs going to Bryn Mawr. I wanted to answer it at once, but waited to tell you a little more definitely about Bessie. First I will say why I cannot say GÇ£yes with pleasureGÇ¥ to your suggestion. Lou is to be married on the 9th and Julia and I promised some time ago to go to stay with her on the 1st and the 1st is next Monday, so you see my reasons. If it were an ordinary visit, I could easily put it off but this one I should not and could not put off unless for some very important reason. Bessie has of course written you all about how miserable she has been and about its having all come from the imprudent drive she took to Waynesboro, when she got so chilled. She expects to get off by the 15th and is accordingly anxious to get to town as soon as her strength and the weather admit, in order to have a little time with the family before going and [illegible] for various things that she wants to do herself. She has been talking of going in since Sunday and had decided to go yesterday, but the weather was uncertain and it seemed best not to risk it. Today has also been very damp, but tomorrow the signal service man told her father would be clear and she expects to go in. Dr. Price seems to be very anxious to have her get in now that he considers her strong enough and that the good weather has broken, as he is afraid there may be a long storm. The family are I think also anxious now to have her get in on that account, although as long as the weather was good, I think they thought it was good for her to be here and were glad to have her stay. I feel very sure that up to this change of the weather it has been very good for her to be in the country rather than in town and that she has gained strength a good deal faster than she would have at home in town, but she has been very wretched. Her father told me yesterday that he thought that her being out here had saved her from a serious illness. We had a succession of the mildest, summerist [sic] days possible until night before last and since that I have of course been very anxious for in a long, cold storm a town-house would be better for her. She has just been talking to me of her dreams and plans about spending next year abroad. I hope very much that she will get off by the 15th for I donGÇÖt think she has strength to stand any severe weather and also it would be so much better for her to get away from home interests and excitements. She is now very much inclined to go to Thomasville and has just had a note from Anna telling her of a very favorable report of it from a lady who spent last winter there.   We were very glad to get Mr. ThomasGÇÖs letter, and it was a very great relief to our minds. Of course Bessie knows nothing about it, for as I wrote you at first, we thought her too sick to be told and now that it is satisfactorily arranged, I am most glad we didnGÇÖt. I wonder what they propose to do on those three afternoons however in the rooms. You see neither Julia or I will be here at the time. Bessie of course is too sick to be troubled about it, so that you and Mamie would be the only ones from Miss Andrews to fall back upon in case of doubt or difficulty. This I mention for your and MamieGÇÖs consideration. I stopped at the schoolhouse for a moment yesterday afternoon simply to say how do you do to Miss Tiffany, not having been able to get there before and found her quite bright and busy over her work, getting on nicely and liking it and with but two questions to ask, both simply and directly, a delightful contrast in this respect to our sometimes feather headed charming Miss A. A number of checks have already come in and I have heard of no fresh complications, beyond the distress about Mathildes KeyserGÇÖs being put a class longer than her mother thought proper. Miss A. says that that is now accepted however and that she had a very GÇ£amicableGÇ¥ talk about it with Mrs. K. either yesterday or today. I am so sorry not to have been able to hear any recitations yet, but I have only left Bessie when it has been absolutely necessary. I shall be very much disappointed if I have to go away without having heard either Miss Davies or Miss Goddard.    The Spanish sounds very nice and the lectures I should like very much to be listening to. I hope Mamie has got over her miserable cold.   I shall go directly to town when I come back from New York, Mrs. Hardie moving while I am gone and getting things ready for me as far as possible. I am so sorry there happens to be such a complication of circumstances that I cannot accept your suggestion of coming to Montebello and save you from the annoyance of making one of the Yearly Meeting visitors. Hoping that you will certainly see Bessie, however, before she goes, and that you and Mamie will succeed in averting any catastrophes in our three rooms from sweet potatoes in any other cause.   Yours,   Mary E.G.