2779. RB to Arabella & Henrietta Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 15, 241–243.
[Florence]
Sunday Mg. March 18. [1849] [1]
Dearest Henrietta & Arabel.—Your letter came yesterday, and gave Ba the delight your affection intended it should: she bids me give her best, best love to you both. I give you, besides that, continued good news of Ba & her babe: both are going on most satisfactorily; the Doctor told me yesterday that it was impossible to meet with a more favorable case—for tho’ Ba is inconvenienced a little by the process necessarily attending her peculiar circumstances, (seeing that she does not nourish the infant herself) yet, even there we should be sorry to have no trouble to encounter, as it would only prove that the natural force was deficient. (All this wisdom is none of mine, of course, but the Doctor’s aforesaid.) As to the Babe, he, too, is got into a little trouble, “thro’ gluttony” says Mad. Biondi; but having been punished for his sins by gentle doctoring, he is now fast asleep, and is likely to commit them again, as ever. He is the sweetest little creature you can imagine; so strong and lively—and good, except when they plague him with dressings and washings, a point in which Flush deeply sympathizes with him. His eyes and forehead are only equalled by his red little mouth:—Mrs. Cottrell came to look, yesterday, and wound up her praise by saying, “He is such a bright creature”, which is just the word—while another friend & young mother, Mrs. Ogilvy, who called also, a few minutes before, expressed her wonder at the beautiful-coloured complexion he had managed to get; and as to his hair, see for yourselves! I have just got three little tufts cut off,—for you, and Miss Tripsack, and my own Mother. [2] The said Mrs. Ogilvy’s child, [3] six months older to a day, has not got a hair, she says. And, do you know, he follows lights or noises with his little great eyes, and even hands—and, when I make a chirrup to him with my lips, fairly takes hold of my nose!– All indubitable signs of his being what Mr Disraeli calls the “Coming Man”, [4] so, being blessed already with an exalted genius, which nobody can give or take away, we intend to devote ourselves wholly to the improvement of his corporeal part—the first step to which has been the getting a good wetnurse—this woman we have now, being only the fourth! The first was picked out as an animal but proved a beast .. wanting to get us to allow her to manage two engagements at once, she got up at [sic, for and] went off at Midnight last Sunday—thinking we should be in such extremity of distress as to consent to any thing when she pleased to return next morning: Providence that always has taken care of us, brought us in a few minutes a nurse from upstairs,—a charming creature, who helped us till we could send into the country for another—a nice young person came on Monday night, who pleased us all at first—but she suddenly became deficient in nourishment (from content at coming, it is surmised)—and, after a little while, we were obliged to send for no[.] 4 and last, I hope. She is a mighty woman, that would cut up into twenty Bas, aged 26, with a child of not yet a month old—good-natured, and intelligent spite of her fat cheeks which overflow her neck as she bends down. And now, good bye for a little longer, dearest sisters–
Wilson has behaved perfectly, as she invariably does, being, indeed, our friend rather than our servant. Depend upon me for letting you know soon our next news. God bless you,
RB.
Will you inform Mr. Kenyon, with our love.
Address, on integral page: Miss Barrett.
Publication: EBB-AB, I, 237–238.
Manuscript: British Library.
1. Year provided by RB’s references to Pen’s birth.
2. Of the three locks of hair, only the one enclosed with this letter is known to be extant; it is at ABL/Altham. The lock was wrapped in a slip of paper with the following docket, in RB’s hand: “Robert Barrett Browning. / Aged 9 days.”
3. Alexander William Ogilvy was born on 9 September 1848.
4. We have been unable to trace the source of this quotation in the works of Benjamin Disraeli. However, in a speech on 9 August 1843, Peel replied to Disraeli’s comments: “Some great man, it seems, is expected to arise with some vast and comprehensive measure, and I was in hopes that I should find from the nature of the measure proposed by the hon. Gentleman, some indication of the coming man by whom such great results are to be achieved” (Sarah Bradford, Disraeli, 1982, p. 132).
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