if dan had died thirteen months earlier, i should have been at the funeral, and squandered many tears; but as it is, i did not go and saved my tears. dan was all you have pictured him, and more; he was all that you and i knew him, and more; a great deal more. he was not a robber. there is a sort of robust dignity about robbing. he was only a pick-pockerⒶemendation, more base than ordinary pick-pockets, who merely filches from strangers. under the protection afforded by a trusting friendship, dan stole from me, during at least seven years unsuspected by me. i never found him out, until twelve months ago. i did not find him out then, but a sharper man than i am, did.

weⒶemendation found he had swindled me freshly and recently, and in order to do it, had leagued himself with a common black-guard and loafer. i came very near sending him to the penitentiary. he was very glad to disgorge, not only what he had swindled me out of himself in the transaction, but also the bowery thief’s share. i think he has swindled me out of many thousands of dollars besides, but i shall not know, until the matter shall have been tested by a law suit. he seems to have been totally without principle, and utterly conscienceless. the persian wrestler who knew three hundred and sixty slights, taught three hundred and fifty nine of them to his pupil, but secretly reserved one; and that one saved him in a memorable contest. he said that no man should leave himself entirely at the mercy of even his closest friend; if he did he himself was mainly in fault. as i reserved nothing, but gave dan my confidence, which was three hundred and sixty strong, i have taken my share of the blame for the consequences.

i remember the incident of the slippers, but have forgotten the one that occurred in the un-christianⒶemendation country, after coming out of damascus. my recollection is, that we went down through galilee to jerusalem from damascus, and returned to the sea by way of that valley, where joshua commanded the sun and moon to stand still. however, that does not affect the incident, yet at the same time, it does not help me to bring it back to my memory. i suppose most of that tribe are dead now. we never imagined that dan and jack would precede so many of the old dried up ones. i was in new york the day your letter was written, and never suspected you were in the neighborhood. i could not have called however, because i had only four hours there, and they were closely packed with business. i could not even run in to see mollie, although i passed within a few blocks of there once. we will let you off from the visit here, provided you cannot possibly come, but other-wise we are bound to hold you to it. the family are in pretty fair condition, and all send love to you and yours. nobody is in the hands of the doctor but clara, so our average is about as usual. i am taking a great deal of pains to write this letter, with far more than my usual legibility, and i shall confidently claim your gratitude for it.