1254. EBB to Julia Martin
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 7, 138–139.
[London]
Friday. May 19. 1843
You owe me a letter my dearest Mrs Martin, & I keep my eye on my account book: but knowing your kind interest in our poor Bummy & her charges, [1] I must open my heart into your sympathies & tell you of the bad news which has lately filled it with melancholy thoughts– Dearest Mrs Martin—they went to Frocester according to the intention—and there, poor Cissy grew worse, evidently worse; & altho’ another apothecary, consulted there, repeated the assurance of his predecessor that no mischief in the lungs had taken place, Bummy became alarmed & returned almost immediately to her old house at Cheltenham. She sent for Mr Shaw, who, it appears, has given his particular attention to affections of the chest & cured cases which had been pronounced hopeless by others,—and he, after a minute examination by the stethoscope, gave unhesitatingly the afflicting opinion that both lungs were diseased, & the illness consumptive. He thinks it a bad case & says so—only not hopeless—and now that we come to hear the symptoms, it appears wonderful to me that the truth was not evident to poor Bummy before– But you see, she must have feared too much, to bear to have her fears confirmed—she must have known by observation what those symptoms indicated .. night-perspirations .. disquieted breathing, & morbid expectoration! She has done the best now—and my heart aches too much both for her & dear Cissy, to look back– Mr Shawe has begun a peculiar course of treatment, under the influence of which, all those fatal symptoms have become suddenly suspended, & he says “I shd be quite satisfied if I did not know what is within—but the stethoscope acquaints me with the evil as plainly as if I looked upon a map”– Still he repeats that it is not hopeless—it is not hopeless– The cough is very very much better—the perspirations stopped—I tell you everything because I know your fulness of sympathy: and you will know poor Bummy’s vacillation of spirits when I copy her own words.... “I pass from despair to sanguineness—I cannot help being in one or the other.” Dearest Bummy! My heart aches to think of her long love & care for these dear children, & of the grief which seems coming to crown all .. with thorns! [2]
Still the stethoscope condemned me as it has condemned Cissy—and I am alive– I was examined repeatedly by the stethoscope, and Dr Barry told me himself the last time, that both lungs, in my case, were more or less affected: altho’ he hoped for me through it all. We may hope for dear Cissy .. and I do—particularly as Mr Shawe’s treatment is responded to so immediately (for he has attended her only a week) by an obvious improvement. He makes her drink porter and eat mutton chops three times a day—and she can do it—& the fever is diminished. Surely this is favorable. Pray for her, dearest Mrs Martin; & pity poor Bummy!– May God comfort her as He only can.
I meant to tell you of the revolution which has taken place in my room, according to your politics, but I cant write any more today. Only the white bed is gone away and a very pretty sofa bed [3] is come .. (Papa’s gift by surprise—) and I have shelves for my books, & am more splendid than I ever thought of being! Of which, more another day.
With love to Mr Martin,
Ever your affectionate
Ba–
Address: Mrs Martin / Colwall / Ledbury.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Wellesley College.
1. Miss Graham-Clarke had been looking after her nieces, Cissie and Arlette, since the death of their mother, Charlotte Butler, in 1834.
2. Cf. Matthew, 27:29.
3. Still in family possession, it is cast iron, moulded and painted to resemble bamboo. It appears in the frontispiece to this volume.
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