2467. EBB to Mary Russell Mitford
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 13, 127–129.
[London]
Monday. [6 July 1846] [1]
How I thank you my very dear kindest of friends, for writing me out the verses by Mr Horne. And they are nobly true, & touchingly true—I felt them deeply:—and now tell me if any other but a generous & feeling man could have written that poem as it stands!——(let it be fair in me to turn on yourself the weapon with which your own hand has furnished me—) they are good & deep words, in truth, & a worthy testimony of an artistic nature on such a subject—oh, it affected me very much.
And poor, poor Haydon! Mr Kenyon came here yesterday to tell me that he has left a paper which it will not be advisable to publish on this point of the subscription, a very curious paper, entering into the motives of his last deed,—with a profession of faith in Christian doctrine—a very curious paper. [2] And he says in it, among other things, that he leaves to me all his private papers, with a desire that they should pass from my hands into Longman’s—. Mr Forster asked Mr Kenyon to make this communication to me. Naturally I could only be touched by such an apparent proof of confidence, where he might have selected some personal friend of more experience & ability——but, on consideration, I do think, & said to Mr Kenyon so, that he probably referred only to the fact of their being in my hands, these papers,—pointed to me as the actual holder of them– Only it must of course depend on the wording of the paper which I have not seen yet. I am not any wise a competent editor of what I understand to be twenty six volumes of memoirs– I know nothing of the times treated of—of the persons referred to—and that province of Art is not one with which I am familiar at all. Can it be that with so many friends full of experience .. competent to the uttermost, .. he should have meant to give me such work to do?—for, observe, that not merely an editor is wanted, but a laborious & skilful editor. Now I have not even seen his pictures .. except in such sketches as he has sent me: & he would have chosen, surely, some one artistically competent, and for the rest, nearer his age, & mixed up with his times. Then a friend of mine [3] suggests that, just because I am ignorant &, so, unprejudiced, he may have selected me– Uneasy I am, you may suppose. Tell me what you think of all this.
But first, first, do believe of me that I am grateful beyond words for your dear goodness in coming to give me all the pleasure I had from your visit [4] —so good you are, so kind!– You gave me some happy hours, & if I forgot half of what I wanted to say to you, it was rather leapt over than stept aside from .. leapt over with some other thing said or listened to in a gladness as great– How kind of you to drop into my lap such a heap of golden hours!– That you did not suffer .. did not grow poor by having given them to me .. doubles their price to me– Thank you my dear dear friend.
Since you went I seem to have been tossed about from aunt to cousin, from cousin to aunt, like Sancho Panza in his blanket. [5] The bones of my spirits (oh happy metaphor!) ache a good deal already. Also the Hedleys arrive on thursday, & there is to be a great marriage festival at the end of July or beginning of august, which shall shake the foundations of the earth. [6] Long I have fancied that they were not fixed altogether securely,—& now—. What nonsense one gets to write. Tell me every now & then how Mr Lovejoy’s child is [7] —& I forgot to ask when you expected to hear from Mr Buckingham, [8] & also whether you liked him to the last as much as you did at first. “I had a vision in my sleep” to the effect that you did not quite.
My aunt who has spent three successive winters in Paris, knows less of it than we two do– The English live in their English quarter in the manner of the Jews at Rome, knowing nothing, seeing nothing, answering nothing. All that roaring literature goes off in their ears, as a minute gun near a deaf man. How singular it seems to me! Better it is (of the twain) to live in England & read Balzac. Tell me of your Dumas as soon as ever you have news. [9]
Dearest friend, here is an end today to my letter! I will take care of the basket, & let you have it when I can find something to put into it.
As for the jam .. you should let me exercise my faith. Perhaps at last I may learn to believe that you really did make it .. with the help of a preserving angel.
Your ever affectionate & grateful
EBB–
Publication: EBB-MRM, III, 176–178.
Manuscript: Wellesley College.
1. Dated by EBB’s reference to Horne’s verses on Haydon, which she told RB she had received in letter 2461.
2. According to The Athenæum of 4 July (no. 975, p. 689), a meeting had been held the preceding week “at the chambers of Mr. Serjeant Talfourd, to consult on the means of making some provision for the bereaved wife and daughter of the late Mr. Haydon. … About £400 in all, was subscribed at the meeting,” at which Lord Morpeth presided. At the meeting, Sir Robert Peel announced “that the Queen had granted to Mrs. Haydon a pension of £50.”
3. EBB is alluding to RB’s remarks in letter 2465.
4. As indicated in letter 2455, Miss Mitford had visited from 2:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, 2 July.
5. Cf. Don Quixote de la Mancha (1605), pt. I, ch. 17. EBB’s aunt Arabella Graham-Clarke (Bummy) and her cousin Arlette Butler had arrived two days earlier.
6. Cf. Isaiah 24:18.
7. Patty Lovejoy (1836–56), daughter of the Reading Bookseller, George Lovejoy, suffered from consumption (see letter 2377, note 6).
8. Miss Mitford’s friend who left for Spain a few months earlier for health reasons (see letter 2206, note 2).
9. Miss Mitford was preparing a selection of Dumas at Rolandi’s request (see letter 2358, note 3).
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