It roused my indignation that she
should make herself and every body else so uncomfortable, and then
glory in the deed as if it were indubitably and indisputably
praiseworthy. She was so good-natured, however, and so happy in her
delusion, that I could not find it in my heart to remonstrate very
vehemently, except when she would make me listen to her interminable
lectures upon the importance, the _necessity_, of fresh air, and the
effect of a snug, cosy room upon the blood, the heart, the lungs, the
head, and (as I verily believe she hinted) _the temper_. I know I lost
all control of _mine_ long before she finished; but whether it was the
want of fresh air in practice, or too much of it in theory, I leave
you to imagine.
My friend always carried a small thermometer in her trunk, which she
consulted a dozen times an hour, in order to regulate the temperature
of the room. Alas for me if the quicksilver rose above 60! I devoutly
hoped she would leave it behind in some of our numerous
stopping-places, and with an eye to that possibility, I must confess,
I hung it in the most out-of-the-way corners I could find; but it
seemed to be on her mind continually. She never forgot it, and always
packed it very carefully, too. I asked her two or three times to let
me put it in _my_ trunk, where I had slyly arranged a nice little
place full of hard surfaces and sharp corners, but she always had
plenty of room.
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