Page:Familiar letters of Henry David Thoreau.djvu/335

 2ET.38.] TO DANIEL RICKETSON. 811

TO DANIEL RICKETSON (AT NEW BEDFORD).

CONCORD, October 12, 1855.

MR. RICKETSON, I fear that you had a lonely and disagreeable ride back to New Bed ford through the Carver woods and so on, perhaps in the rain, too, and I am in part an swerable for it. I feel very much in debt to you and your family for the pleasant days I spent at Brooklawn. Tell Arthur and Walton 1 that the shells which they gave me are spread out, and make quite a show to inland eyes. Me- thinks I still hear the strains of the piano, the violin, and the flageolet blended together. Ex. cuse me for the noise which I believe drove you to take refuge in the shanty. That shanty is indeed a favorable place to expand in, which I fear I did not enough improve.

On my way through Boston I inquired for Gilpin s works at Little, Brown & Co. s, Mon roe s, Ticknor s, and Burirliam s. They have not got them. They told me at Little, Brown & Co. s that his works (not complete), in twelve vols., 8vo, were imported and sold in this coun try five or six years ago for about fifteen dollars. Their terms for importing are ten per cent on the cost. I copied from the &quot; London Catalogue

1 Sons of Mr. Rieketson; the second, a sculptor, modeled the medallion head of Thoreau engraved for this book.