Page:The Novels and Tales of Henry James, Volume 1 (New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1907).djvu/167

 beautiful letter of the 22d of June. She thanks you extremely for writing and wishes me to say that she finds herself under great obligations to you. Your account of her son's progress and of the high esteem in which he is held has made her very happy, and she earnestly prays that all may go on well. He sent us a short time ago several large photographs of his two statues, taken from different points of view. We know little about such things, but they seem to us wonderfully beautiful. We sent them to Boston to be handsomely framed, and the man, on returning them, wrote us that he had exhibited them for a week in his gallery and that they had attracted great attention. The frames are magnificent, and the pictures now hang in a row on the parlour wall. Our only quarrel with them is that they make the old papering and the engravings look dreadfully shabby. Mr. Striker stood and looked at them the other day full five minutes; after which he said that if Roderick's head had been running on such things as those it was no wonder he couldn't learn to draw a deed. We lead here so quiet and monotonous a life that I am afraid I can tell you nothing that will interest you. Mrs. Hudson requests me to say that the little that might happen to us more or less is of small importance, as we live in our thoughts, which are fixed on her dear son. She thanks heaven he has so good a friend. Mrs. Hudson says that this is too short a letter, but I can say nothing more. Yours most respectfully, .

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