Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. I.djvu/177

 there by Charles Sumner. First to the House of Correction for women, where I admired the order and arangement of everything; after that we went to the Lunatic Asylum for the poor. It was clean and well-ordered, but, ah! it was deficient in all the comfort and beauty which had distinguished the Asylum for the wealthy insane at Bloomingdale. One woman conceived a violent friendship for me, embraced and blessed me continually, and desired the others to bless me also.

“Say, bless her!” said she to Mr. Sumner. He was engaged in conversation with the superintendent and did not attend to her request. She repeated it, and said finally in a wild, threatening voice—“Say, bless her!”

“Yes, God bless her!” said Sumner, now kindly, in his deep, beautiful voice; and with this my friend laughed and was very much pleased.

Among the men were two with whom Sumner was acquainted; they were two of his college companions; men with good heads, and who had been before him in mathematics. Now their high-arched foreheads appeared not to harbour a sensible thought. One of them recognised his former comrade, but the recognition seemed to grieve and embarrass him.

From this asylum I was obliged to go out to dine, and after that to a Swedenborgian meeting at the Swedenborgian church, where I shook hands with about one hundred Swedenborgians.

It was half-past ten when at length I reached home, and for the first time in the day I experienced a feeling of comfort and satisfaction. Every feeling of annoyance had vanished, and I enjoyed half an hour of rest with a female friend who had accompanied me home. But at this moment came my physician, and would of necessity take me with him to a large party.

I prayed to be excused; I said, “Now for the first time am I enjoying rest to-day; for the first time to-day