Midnight
Miss Keene took the letter . It was written in a delicate , almost feminine hand . She could not help noticing that in one or two instances corrections had been made and blots carefully removed with an eraser . `` Midnight , on the Excelsior . `` MY FRIEND : When you receive this I shall probably be once more on the bosom of that mysterious and mighty element whose majesty has impressed us , whose poetry we have loved , and whose moral lessons , I trust , have not been entirely thrown away upon us . I go to the deliverance of one of those oppressed nations whose history I have often recited to you , and in whose destiny you have from time to time expressed a womanly sympathy . While it is probable , therefore , that my MOTIVES may not be misunderstood by you , or even other dear friends of the Excelsior , it is by no means impossible that the celerity and unexpectedness of my ACTION may not be perfectly appreciated by the careless mind , and may seem to require some explanation .