File:Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries- Volume 8, page 175, approximately April 30, 1857.jpg

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store (wholesale, I believe) and given to lewd conversation. He [Mr. Foster] remains principally, I opine, in order to keep up an unbroken intimacy between [William] Leslie, and the family — touching "Nina [Brooks]." With that little girl indeed our longitudinal Scotchman went very far in philander-ation (if the word be allowable.) They always took breakfast together, at a later hour than the other boarders, remaining together till 11 or so; and had the parlor to themselves of evenings. I am sure that the girl is very kind and good and innocent; and I think fond of him. When the family left he was quite thrown out of employment of evenings. "Nina" as well as her mother gave both myself and Leslie invitations to visit them during the summer at Hudson, mine being the first offered. Of course there’s the usual under current of boarding house tattle touching the presumed lovers, and Mrs [Elizabeth] Gouverneur, with her usual unlucky proclivity towards precipitating herself into hot water, must needs visit Miss Sturgis our "Grace Poole" and sit ridiculing and slandering the innocent little girl for half an hour — she overhearing it all, in the next room, which happened to be her mother’s. I believe"Nina" cried about it; of course she told Leslie, and subsequently myself. The Scot was savage, and intimated his intention of a row, subsequent to the Brooks’ departure. We saw them off, I going, on a dismally wet