2872. RB to Arabella Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 16, 173–175.
Florence,
Aug. 4. ’50.
My dear Arabel,
You may depend on Ba’s being better, as much better as could reasonably be hoped for:—the attack was no inconsiderable one, & her recovery has been, & will be, gradual of course—but it has not been stopped for a day. Dr Harding hopes she may be moved to the sofa to-day—and once the first step taken all the rest will soon follow. She is half-expecting that I will let her add a line of postscript to this—you must be magnanimous enough to thank me for letting her do no such thing, & reserving her energies for the great duty of eating her dinner:—but I dare say the next note you receive will be from the white little hand which is at least as anxious to resume its exercise as the feet whose claims I favour in preference. Meanwhile she bids me assure you that all is well, with truest love to you & Henrietta from whom she has received a letter she means to answer the moment she is strong enough—one point in it, however, is referred to me as the more competent authority, and I may as well dispatch it at once. Expressing kind regret at Ba’s inability to go to England this year thro’ the falling off in her ship-dividend, Henrietta adds that she is surprised at such straitened finances, since she had understood before Ba’s marriage that she had nearly £500 a-year—or words to that effect. Ba’s income this year will be, when it all comes in, £257.10s 10d And Mr Kenyon writes concerning the ship-money, that “as freights are lowered, she will probably not have a better dividend next year, or again”. He writes something else however, which tho’ I am sure he would dislike my mentioning, yet I cannot deny myself the gratification of imparting to you, dear Arabel; you who, with Henrietta, have always understood & sympathised with me from the beginning. In this letter, which reached me the day after Ba’s accident, & so just when its kindness “told” most, he spoke of our scheme of going to settle in Paris,—approving it, but rightly judging that with our limited means Ba would be obliged to leave Italy without having visited Rome & Naples—whereupon he pressed on her, & me thro’ her,—with every possible refinement of delicate considerateness, every circumstance that might render a refusal difficult,—to accept £100 for the visit to Rome, & £50 for the journey to England afterwards. I was forced to refuse, however—or rather to accept all of the kindness except the money: but assuredly I shall never, nor will Ba, hear of Rome without thinking how we might have gone there: & if we should be able to go there at our own expense,—which is not quite so possible as I have told him that it is,—I am sure we shall get no such gratification from anything to be seen there, as from this signal piece of generosity in him.
Let me just add that Babe is very well—cut two double teeth last week and boasts two more just out, white to see & hard to feel—these will complete the dozen. He is a little tyrant, and must outgrow all that nonsense in these days of universal constitutionalism. Good bye, dear Arabel—don’t fear that I will keep you long without another note, should Ba prove less competent than I expect to write one herself. With best regards to Henry,
Yours ever most
affectionately, R Browning.
Best love to Trippy if you please– Mrs Gordon has gone, by the bye, to Viareggio, a sea-side town—and so prevented our going there which we otherwise should have been glad to do. (Ba sent this love specially but I have a right to part of it)
Monday Mg The Doctor’s visit yesterday kept me at home till past the post-time: to make amends I can give you later news & quite as good. Ba is visibly stronger & better—was able to lie on the sopha for half an hour—and may be expected to do as much, or a very little more, to-day. Your nephew is at this moment seated in a donkey-cart, which a peasant has come with from the country, and screaming to the “ciuco”, [1] as we call them, to move on,—while poor long-ears stands musing on what strange master he has been suddenly gifted with. The Cottrells called last evening to enquire after Ba—they are very kind apparently &, I fancy, softened by their misfortunes—we give them every possible benefit of the doubt, in their connection with Mrs Gordon—they have heard & believed her story: but there is more distaste to a residence in Florence produced in us by the coming hither of Mrs Gordon than by any other circumstance. Ba’s new edition is all but ready—you saw the advertisement in the “Athenæum”. [2] Good bye, once more, & God bless you.
RB.
Address, on integral page: Miss Barrett, / 50. Wimpole St
Publication: EBB-AB, I, 333–334.
Manuscript: Gordon E. Moulton-Barrett.
1. “Donkey,” or “jackass.”
2. Included in Chapman and Hall’s full-page advertisement in The Athenæum of 20 July 1850 (no. 1186, p. 776) was the following: “‘Miss Barratt’s [sic]’ Poems. / In Two Volumes, foolscap 8vo. a New Edition of / The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barratt Browning. / Uniform with the New Edition of Robert Browning’s Poetical Works. In the press.”
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