At the same time, I have not (as the poet says) 'passed through the ordeal unscathed.' My spirit--I have long since ceased to believe in anything of the sort: I only use the word for want of a better--my spirit, I say, has become embittered.

I was once a pious young woman; I do assure you I was nearly as good as my name.

Don't let me shock you; I have lost faith and hope; I have become--what's the last new name for a free-thinker?
Oh, I keep up with the times, thanks to old Miss Redwood! She takes in the newspapers, and makes me read them to her.

What _is_ the new name?
Something ending in ic.

Bombastic?
No, Agnostic ?--that's it! I have become an Agnostic.