3月26日

長腿叔叔史密斯先生：

您從不回答任何問題，也從未表示過對我做的事情有一丁點兒的興趣。您可能是那些董事里最惡劣的一個，而您讓我受教育不是因為您對我有絲毫的關心，而是出于一種義務的驅使。

我對您一點兒也不了解。我甚至不知道您的名字。寫信給“一個東西”不會讓人有興趣。我一點兒也不懷疑您讀都不讀我的信，就將它們丟進廢紙簍。今后，我應該只寫關于課業的事。

我的幾何學跟拉丁文上星期補考都通過了。它們都考過了，我現在沒有其他的情況了。

您最真實的，喬若莎·亞伯特

26 th March

Mr. D.-L.-L.Smith,

SIR:You never answer any questions;you never show the slightest interest in anything I do. You are probably the horridest one of all those horrid Trustees, and the reason you are educating me is, not because you care a bit about me, but from a sense of Duty.

I don't know a single thing about you. I don't even know your name.It is very uninspiring writing to a Thing.I haven't a doubt but that you throw my letters into the waste-basket without reading them.Hereafter I shall write only about work.

My re-examinations in Latin and geometry came last week. I passed them both and am now free from conditions.

Your truly,

Jerusha Abbott