TO MRS. HAWTHORNE: Boston , May 23 d , 1845

Boston , May 23 d , 1845

Ownest Dearest ,

I write this little note in order to warn thee in due season that I shall not be at home till Monday. Hillard has made an engagement for me with Longfellow for Sunday; so that, without disappointing both of those worthies exceedingly, I cannot come away sooner. Belovedest, I love thee a million times as much every hour that I stay away from thee; and my heart swells toward thee like a mighty flood. Also, I have a yearning for our little Una; and whenever I go, and with whomsoever I am talking, the thought of thee and her is ever present with me. God bless thee! What a happy home we have. That is the knowledge that I gain by staying away from thee.

I saw thy mother this forenoon. She told me that Elizabeth had gone to Concord this morning.

Remember me to “Our Boarder.”

In utmost haste, Thine Ownest Husband .

Mrs. Sophia A. Hawthorne, Concord, Mass.

TO MRS. HAWTHORNE