1838 October 16, Haverford, to Dear Mother, Philadelphia

              Haverford 10th mo. 16th 1838

Dear Mother,I am very sorry that I cannot set down to obey thy injuction to write soon, with a better face than I do, but I can assure thee that our leaving writing to you till so late is unintentional.  The hours of study and recitation, on entering a new class are entirely changed; the confusion arising from this, the time occupied in getting fixed (?), and the attention which is required for our studies which are regularly commenced, are the excuse which I plead.  I expect if I was at home, I should hear “that’s Tom to a tee, he puts off everything just in that way,” but however I may put off other things.  I flatter myself that I should not be disposed to defer a duty so pleasant as this, especially so soon after leaving home, when we feel the absence of many enjoyments, and when the nearest approach to enjoying your company is in such communication.

In coming out we were obliged to sit on the outside of the car.  We sat behind, so that we did not feel the air much, but found our cloaks very comfortable.  We were detained a long time at the head of the plane, on account of something about the car being out of order, so that it was near six o’clock when we reached the school.  We found rather more than half the boys returned, fourteen of them new scholars.  Everything looked dreary except the fire in the grate, which was burning furiously.  We went down to the Green-house, and found it nearly finished except the flues which Wm. Carvill was at work at.  He expects to get done in two or three weeks.  He is doing the work very well, but how he is to be paid for it I do not know, and I doubt whether anybody does.