My dear Ethel,--I have been long intending to answer your letter of April 11th, chiefly as to your question in reference to Mrs. N--'s letter about the little S--s [whose mother had recently died]. You say you don't see "how they can be guided aright by their dead mother, or how light can come from her." Many people believe that our friends in the other world can and do influence us in some way, and perhaps even "guide" us and give us light to show us our duty. My own feeling is, it _may_ be so: but nothing has been revealed about it. That the angels do so _is_ revealed, and we may feel sure of _that_; and there is a beautiful fancy (for I don't think one can call it more) that "a mother who has died leaving a child behind her in this world, is allowed to be a sort of guardian angel to that child." Perhaps Mrs. N-- believes that.
Here are two other entries in the Diary:--
_Aug. 26th_.--Worked from about 9.45 to 6.45, and again from 10.15 to 11.45 (making 101/2 hours altogether) at an idea which occurred to me of finding limits for _pi_ by elementary trigonometry, for the benefit of the circle-squarers.
_Dec. 12th_.--Invented a new way of working one word into another. I think of calling the puzzle "syzygies."
MAN } permanent } entice } Send MAN on ICE. ICE. }
ACRE } sacred } credentials } RELY on ACRE. entirely } RELY }
PRISM } prismatic } dramatic } Prove PRISM to be ODIOUS. melodrama } melodious } ODIOUS. }
In February, 1880, Mr. Dodgson proposed to the Christ Church "Staff-salaries Board," that as his tutorial work was lighter he should have £200 instead of £300 a year. It is not often that a man proposes to cut down _his own_ salary, but the suggestion in this case was intended to help the College authorities in the policy of retrenchment which they were trying to carry out.
_May 24th_.--Percival, President of Trin. Coll., who has Cardinal Newman as his guest, wrote to say that the Cardinal would sit for a photo, to me, at Trinity. But I could not take my photography there and he couldn't come to me: so nothing came of it.
_Aug. 19th_. [At Eastbourne].--Took Ruth and Maud to the Circus (Hutchinson and Tayleure's--from America). I made friends with Mr. Tayleure, who took me to the tents of horses, and the caravan he lived in. And I added to my theatrical experiences by a chat with a couple of circus children--Ada Costello, aged 9, and Polly (Evans, I think), aged 13. I found Ada in the outer tent, with the pony on which she was to perform--practising vaulting on to it, varied with somersaults on the ground. I showed her my wire puzzle, and ultimately gave it her, promising a duplicate to Polly. Both children seemed bright and happy, and they had pleasant manners.