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his office with him-, as a partner -- I was much touched by
his friendship, but I could not accept his kind offer -- He
was then writing a work on Anatomy-; and had the manuscript
nearly ready for the press; he soon after brought it to
Cincinnati, and left it in my hands to trim up and punctuate
and fix up grammatically &c. &c. I protested, and tried to
get out of it -- but he persisted, and would leave it with
me --

Well -- The months rolled by-; I made, of course, but
slow headway in establishing a practice that would support a
family, and the prospect was that it would be a number of
years before I could prudently think of marrying -- Mr. &
Mrs. Page loved me, but they were not willing that their
daughter should wait upon so uncertain a future, and advised
her to break the engagement off-, which, like a dutiful
daughter, she did -- I could not justly complain, the fact
is, as I look back on those times, I see that I was singularly
deficient in practical qualities -- I could have come to
Florida, & started without cash, and soon have been in a
condition to support a wife, on the credit system that then
prevailed-, & done very well-; but I was afraid to make the
venture -- and the fact of the busineess was my dear friend
Miss Mary Browne had a good deal to do in making up the match,
and though we would have made a contented & happy pair, either
out West, or in Florida, neither of us was heart broken --
I trust they did not think hardly of me -- But I was not
willing to remain in Cincinnati, and continue the up hill