Chapter 23:
- 1863 to 1866. -- letters to G. T. Curtis, Sir C. Lyell, Sir E. Head, R. H. Gardiner, friend B. B. Wiffen, General Thayer, C. F. Bradford, Professor Louis Agassiz, Lady Cranworth. -- death of Mr. Everett.
During the period of old age, upon which Mr. Ticknor had now entered, he led a tranquil, simple life, adapted to his condition, and filled with serene and appropriate enjoyments. He had always made friends among the young, and his house continued to be the resort of many persons of all ages, who contributed to his pleasure by their society. The last five summers of his life he passed in Brookline, one of the prettiest spots among the charming environs of Boston, where he took a pleasant cottage, so situated that he had long-tried friends close around him, and, through private garden-walks, could reach these and other younger neighbors, who welcomed him with warm and cheerful greetings. These summer days were truly days of ease, when books and correspondence, interchange of informal visits, and daily drives made up a goodly sum of rational satisfaction.
His letters grew fewer and shorter; but it will be seen in the remaining selection that he still wrote many, and often on topics both interesting and various. The first of these, by their dates, retrace a little the steps already trod; but a few pages will bring us again to the point we lately left.
