2752. RB to Arabella & Henrietta Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 15, 161–162.
Florence,
Nov. 20. ’48.
Dear Henrietta & Arabel will see what a famous letter this encloses, [1] and so will easily forgive the poverty of my own news—which, however, are good so far as they go—for Ba is quite well—as well as heart can wish—better than she has ever been; she is also admirably docile, and disposed to mind wise lecturings. I really venture to believe, in short, that all will go favorably on to the end—and how happy that will make us, will it not? My dear sisters, if you could only know how often we talk of you—(not to speak of mere thinking)—how we put you in your proper places at our dinner table, when the viands come up particularly tempting,—and round our fireplace at supper time when the wood fire looks more cozy than usual, and we get the chestnuts glowing from the brazier,—you would see & feel how little a thing distance is, and how much nearer people may be to each other with the sea between them, than with a few str<eets> in London-town. Still, near as we are after that fashion, it <would> be more delightful, we all know, to see you face to face,—which may happen some day, and not a very distant one, I trust. How kindly you write about my illness, which is quite gone & past—not so, the remembrance of what Ba was to me while it lasted. I feel jealous of speaking about it, because it might seem to imply that I discovered some new proof of her affection in what she did then,—whereas she is doing all possible for a human creature (& something more) every minute of her life; and it is the mere illness that gives that affection a little wider power of showing itself .. but not in my eyes, who know her now. May God bless her for us all,—and you for us, here– I am happy to be able to associate with “you” your Brother [2] who mentioned me so kindly in a note which gave Ba great pleasure—on both of which accounts I am very grateful to him. See our ink! and be ashamed when I tell you it is veritable English—but it calls itself “Japan Black”, I observe, and may turn out decent shoe-polish, after all! [3] I will make it serve, however, to tell you that the sun is shining brightly after yesterday’s rain—(our rain falls all at once, and now is the time, it seems)—and that all looks cheerful as if there were none of these turbulent doings all about us. Don’t fear whatever you may read or hear,—I will be very watchful, depend on it, and anticipate the least real danger—but there is none at present, nor, I think, will be. You shall keep hearing from Ba & me—the long letter was written rationally by easy stages; and so it shall be for the future. Meantime, your letters are a joy to Ba’s heart,—and warm her thro’ & thro’ better than the fire she is now sitting before, a few inches from my elbow. Flush gets old, but super-naturally wise, which is a compensation—in short we all do supremely well, so may you do, dear Arabel and dear Henrietta, earnestly wishes ever your affectionate
RB–
Address, on integral page, in EBB’s hand: Angleterre viâ France / Care of Miss Tripsack / (Miss Barrett) / 12. Upper Gloucester Street / Dorset Square / New Road / London.
Publication: EBB-AB, I, 203–205.
Manuscript: British Library.
2. i.e., Henry Moulton-Barrett.
3. The density of the ink in this letter fluctuates between heavy and light.
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