3604. EBB to Henrietta Cook
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 21, 235–236.
[London]
Monday. [27 August 1855] [1]
I cant wait any longer for Arabel (who is coming, she has sent me a message to say) to write, and I cant let your dear letter pass in silence during a day, my ever dearest Henrietta. So here is just a word! Dearest, I congratulate you. Your prospect is well worth seeing me [2] .. if you miss seeing me because of it .. and really I dont know what to advise. The fact is, I could’nt accept the responsibility of saying, “Come” .. under the circumstances. Perhaps, if I were you, I should be afraid, & not come. And yet the railroad is not fatiguing .. and you might be even invigorated by the change of air. Who knows? and who dares decide? Certainly it is not Ba.
Dear, the Wimpole Street plan is settled thus. A house is taken at Eastbourne, and they all go on thursday, Henry Trant remaining with Papa, who may follow, he says, but chooses to stay in order to preside over the new carpeting & refurnishing of Wimpole Street. (Great need for that same!) It is supposed however that the real reason of the delay is, a reluctance to leave the mesmerizer .. who arrives regularly every morning, & engrosses a mysterious hour or so within fast-locked doors. [3]
So I lose Arabel on thursday, & how I shall bear London afterwards (unless you help me) I dont know. We shall probably follow her on monday week or so .. that is, a fortnight from today. When she arrives today she will tell me I dare say .. but I should imagine, dearest Henrietta, (in default of clearer knowledge) that you could get to Eastbourne from Taunton, without passing through London, & without much expense. Would not your way be through Reading? And is there not a direct railroad? I will write tomorrow about this.
May God bless you dearest dear Henrietta. How deeply I am touched by your sacrifice of dear Surtees (for a week) to me.
Your ever attached
Ba
Publication: Huxley, p. 224 (in part).
Manuscript: British Library.
1. Date derived from EBB’s remark: “I lose Arabel on thursday.” Letter 3607 indicates that Arabella left for Eastbourne on 30 August 1855, a Thursday.
2. Henrietta was six weeks pregnant with her third child Edward Altham, born on 13 April 1856.
3. This is the only mention in the correspondence that Edward Moulton-Barrett was undergoing mesmeric treatment. Although we have been unable to identify the “mesmerizer,” he may have been John Elliotson (see letter 3338, note 11), who had previously attended EBB’s father.
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