3056. EBB to Sarah Jane Streatfeild
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 18, 157–159.
138. Avenue des Champs Elysées
June 21– [1852] [1]
Here is a letter, my dear Mrs Streatfeild, which lags behind .. not by Robert’s fault .. to stop that reproach on your lips. He has regularly enquired for letters, letters, at your house, .. and yesterday came somebody .. one of the servants .. not the bonne .. to confess, in a fit of remorse, having forgotten to give this unfortunate letter (which must be black letter by this time) to the concierge with the others. So now, be as forgiving as you can. I do hope the delay may prove without consequence to you in any way.
In the matter of the piano– Robert declares he has distanced M. Charles [2] in extracting a steak from the jaws of the hyena. The man of the piano gave up, in fact, a good portion of those fifteen francs which were paid to him by your direction, .. consenting to charge only half a franc a day for the days when the instrument was left at your house .. in all, making six francs and a half: to which add three francs for porterage– Except those nine francs and a half, he gave back the money. Are you tolerably content? Robert maintains that his hands are clean in the business, inasmuch as he simply followed your directions–
I saw the darling at Mrs Butlers once,—and once I missed her there, because she was out when I called,—and she spent one afternoon with us to our great pleasure .. only that Robert was coveting his neighbour’s babies all the time, & wishing he had just such a little girl-creature to match his boy. She behaved like a good fairy, and enchanted Wiedeman out of his dignity so far, that though he began by saying he was too “grande” to kiss anyone so small, he ended by pulling the plums out of his own bun to give her,—the force of selfsacrificing love going no farther. Indeed there was a quantity of kissing impropriety going on all those hours, and as the lady admitted from the first that the gentleman was “gentil,” [3] she was not likely to be too coy on her side. We had, the whole of us together, a regular play-day of it, I assure you, .. and, as Robert observed, the only worthy close of it was hearing music at Ary Scheffer’s, where we met (but didn’t hear) Madame Viardot, & heard the first violin from the Conservatoire. She said “her voice was still in bed”—and nobody could well repine at that, seeing that she had a baby three weeks old.
But I must not leave your darling yet. Robert went to see her yesterday evening again, & found her in a glow of health & prettiness as usual. She screamed for joy to see him—and the bonne testified to her being as well as a child could by any possibility be. Oh—I can’t flatter you by hinting that she pines after you. She told me that “Mama had put on her hat & gone to bed,” and I heard from the bonne that such was the satisfactory way in which she always accounted for your absence.
Lady Elgin was delighted when I told her of the secretaryship. The news seemed to relieve her of her last care for you.
We were at the Hedleys last night, & Mrs Hedley enquired much about you. Mrs Butler too sends her best love,—& really she clapped her hands for joy at the news of the secretaryship. Or did I tell you that before? Your baby has gone home.
Robert & I unite in love to you– Write to us & tell us more about yourself, and let it all be as happy as possible–
Your ever affectionate
EBB—
Lady Augusta Bruce, having been out when Baba paid her visit, called yesterday to see her–
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection.
1. Year provided by reference to the return address; 1852 was the only year the Brownings resided at 138 Avenue des Champs Élysées on 21 June.
2. Charles Esperon, a wild animal tamer, had performed at Madrid in the spring and summer of 1849. His various feats and tricks with animals included a dinner with hyenas (see Michael Schinasi, “Battles of Wild Animals and Commercial Mass Culture in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Spain,” Romance Languages Annual, 1990, pp. 610–611). Perhaps Esperon had performed recently in Paris; however, we have been unable to trace any record of his doing so.
3. “Nice.”
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