1680. EBB to George Goodin Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 9, 91–93.
[London]
Saturday. [10 August 1844] [1]
My ever dearest George
I have, two hours ago, sent you off my book, committing it to your tender mercies [2] as barrister at Law & critic by grace. Perhaps I shd not be writing to you immediately after,—but Papa came in & said “I wish you had told George that I received his letter,” so I took it into my head to write. By the way, George, I wish you wd not write to Papa such nonsense about “estates” &c &c. He brought me your letter yesterday, .. & I in vexation of soul cried out “What is this about? I dont understand”– To which he replied .. “Oh .. only some nonsense .. (I think he said nonsense, George! I think he did! It was a synonyme in any case!) “about some immense estate”– And his manner of making the remark, set me at ease. Take no notice of this when you write here, to me or anyone else,—mind! Not a word in remark upon either my report or my observations on it– Not a word! mind! [3]
I sent the books down stairs to Papa, with the page of the dedication cut; & when he came up stairs at one oclock, he seemed pleased & touched by it——only the satisfaction to myself in expressing my natural feeling, is deeper (must be) certainly, than any which his tenderness cd receive. There is an advertisement of the book in the Athenæum today—as conspicuous as possible. [4]
I wrote to Mr Moxon to desire him to accept whatever copies he cared to have,—& he wrote to tell me that he wd take one for himself, a second for Miss Martineau, & a third for Tennyson “who is now in town.” To which I retorted that he must change the destination from Miss Martineau, as she had promised to accept one from me—but that with regard to Tennyson, I had so much wished to give him one, yet so much feared to seem forward past bearing, that I was delighted to accede to a mediate arrangement. [5] Tennyson, they say, professed to be quite well on his arrival in London, cured by hydropathy,—but has since relapsed, & been very unwell indeed. If you hear about him, tell me.
Today I had a letter from Miss Martineau, [6] —kind but not long. Mrs Reid who comes from her, assures Mr Kenyon that she is in no respect worse, & gives no sign of increase of disease, or loss of strength.
Miss Mitford does not go to France after all. In fact she says that she will put it off to next year, & take me with her.
Mr Kenyon is to send a copy (will, he swears to me in the face of remonstrance) to Mr Eagles,—& he has in the meantime been praising the [‘]Drama of Exile’ most extravagantly. I [7] say, “most extravagantly”– It grows upon him, he asserts .. and he re-iterates, that although he had not thought weakly of me, he had believed me incapable of so much “sustained power.”
If I repeat such things to you I hope you comprehend that I do it less for vanity than to keep up my hopes in the book. I am very nervous & restless indeed—& feel inclined to cry in a parenthesis, every now & then–
Are you “’ware,” [8] as we say in the ballads, that Johnnie Hedley has been here & is gone? George is kept at Paris, by a happy stroke of the meazles. I heard from Jane from Ems [9] today,—& she leaves a possibility open, of her coming to England before she returns to France.
In haste .. one word running over another, ..
your own affectionate
Ba–
Address: G G M Barrett Esqr / Barrister at Law / Oxford Circuit. / [in an unidentified hand] Monmouth.
Publication: B-GB, pp. 125–128.
Manuscript: Pierpont Morgan Library.
1. Dated by the postmark, 12 August 1844, a Monday.
2. Psalms 25:6.
3. At various times, the removal of the family from London had been discussed as being beneficial to EBB’s health; this plan distressed her.
4. See The Athenæum for 10 August (no. 876, p. 741).
7. Underscored twice.
8. Romeo and Juliet, II, 2, 103.
9. The Hedleys were in Ems, a fashionable spa on the banks of the Lahn some 11 miles east of Coblenz, Germany. Its hot springs were held to be particularly efficacious in complaints affecting the liver and respiratory organs.
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