1856 March 9, to Ed

              3rd 9th 2nd day [morn]

Dear Ed, Got thy cousin Thomas letter [for] 6th days mail - Suppose the credit of it is due to him not to thee - Therefore thee will not have looked towards getting an answer That was rather an awkward sort of a business wh. Joseph & Jonathan enlisted in where they undertook the Italian Opera I guess Joseph thought it did not operate very well- & he must have felt decidedly the most awkward of the actors. Well, for you was it, that the charge this time happened to be false. For I greatly fear me that some of you, at some other times, have not been overly scrupulous about such transgressions. - So for this consideration let us try & be lenient to the poor Professor remembering that poor human nature is apt to err. & if you are only innocent it will not trouble you much.
Wish regard to my coming down! (every body has to "come down" She knows & as you all seem to be trying to brings me down, I shall not wonder at finding myself fallen in among you some of these days. If they dont get well before Geo.