shall consider it as an act of brotherly interest and kindness towards a sister whom Cath. invariably gives the rather mortifying appellation of being a careless little monkey especially now as she has become so fully particular to finding out every misspelt word in my hasty written letters. Being so intensely engaged with school duties and hard study I find that really I have not the same opportunity for letter correspondence as I used to have. This is now my last quarter for this secession. The holiday will be in the order of eight weeks. I have had a very kind & pressing invitation to spend my leisure time with Uncle which perhaps I may have the pleasure of doing if my worthy sister Cath. does not come to the conclusion that it is by far a too expensive journey, a point upon which you may really guess we sometimes differ especially when a new bonnet or evening dress is in question. However without giving way to the extravagant jokes alleged to the ancient and honorable clan of McLeans we generally coincide upon very economical and reasonable terms. How we smiled at your simple and unostentatious description of self and thought of the poet's words "The mind is the standard of the man" an inheritance which has been graciously bestowed