3644. EBB to Arabella Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 21, 288–289.
13. Dorset Street.
Wednesday. [Postmark: 3 October 1855]
My ever dear dearest Arabel,
I begin this letter that I may send it off when Penini comes. I observe you never say how you are. Now if you persist in this silence, I shall conclude that you are unwell,—so you will gain nothing at all by your want of candour. I beseech you, write frankly–
We have just despatched Robert’s last proof. I am most sanguine about the work, believing in it, I for one.
A note from Mr Forster .. “make me happy by sending me news of dear little Penini.” My attachment to Forster grows alarming in intensity.
Oh—of course you delight me by sending him back after all. I was resigned, only resigned, to the delay till monday—& am overjoyed by the change of plan. Selfishly, selfishly. One cant help being selfish even about Penini.
How good you have been! how often he must have teazed & tired you! That must have been. But your love held fast to the pleasure after all & through all. I am sure George & Henry & Sette & Occy too have been very, very kind. I can only thank them by loving them, dear things.
Poor Wilson went away this morning at six—& one of the great advantages of Peni’s visit to Eastbo[u]rne has been the getting him out of the way of the pain of this. She shed many tears as it was, but was in not uncheerful spirits upon the whole. Harriet was about half an hour arranging my hair this morning. I imagine she is slow, & not scientific—but we must make a patch of it while Wilson is away—& really she does seem very gentle & amiable,—& experience comes with time.
Robert had to jog Mr Kenyon’s memory about the unhappy money, & we had this morning by return of post the kindest, kindest reproach for not having done it before. (That “we put ourselves to inconvenience just to put him to mortification”) adding that he is coming up to London on monday .. in the meantime sending the order. Quite as kind as possible! And I have a sympathy for people who forget dates & are not clear about money-arrangements. (If it were not for Robert, I wonder how I should make the two ends of the year meet!) Dear Mr Kenyon!
Since Peni went away, by the way, I have been ruining Robert, by my prowess in the shops– I have bought three frocks for my Peni, & a velvet jacket—handkerchiefs for Robert, a black veil for myself .. oh, I cant enumerate half.
Here I am interrupted by Miss Bayley—who is to be in town on monday to meet Mr Kenyon, & is full of schemes about our staying a few days longer all together. Robert is out—but I think it likely that he may do it—he is always loth to move when we come to the end of a residence. As for me, I shall like being kind to Mr Kenyon, but for the rest, the sooner I am out of England, (now that I have lost you definitively), the better for me. Robert is “sitting” for Ros[s]etti, and I am likely to be made to sit after all, between my husband & his artist. And there shall I be, perpetuated in sublime ugliness by the head of the Pre-Raphaelite school!——
Dearest dear Arabel, do, I beseech you, write to me .. & write in detail about yourself .. or I shall be quite uneasy–
We are in a desperate state about Mrs Crispin [1] who is’nt to be found it seems– Such quantities of work we have to do–
Here’s Peni! Thank you, dearest– He is looking so well—I am delighted to look in his radiant face. Robert & I rushed down stairs, & we had a struggle to get the proper amount of kisses, before he pulled out his presents– Oh—thank you thank you for all the roses in his cheeks–
Past five—half past, they say—& no time for a word–
Your own grateful
Ba—
He has only had luncheon he says! Quite ready for dinner again.
Address: Miss Barrett / 12. Cornfield Terrace / Eastbourne.
Publication: EBB-AB, II, 178–180.
Manuscript: Gordon E. Moulton-Barrett.
1. Mrs. Crispin, a dressmaker, who later replaced Bonser as Arabella’s lady’s maid. We have been unable to identify her further.
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