Correspondence

3671.  EBB & RB to Marianne Fell

As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 21, 334–336.

Faubourg St Germain.

October 30– [1855] [1]

My dear Mrs Fell, [2]

Of course you have set us down among the great majority of the ungrateful, after writing to us in August such a pleasant kind letter, and getting no acknowledgement till november. But we were worked hard in London for a long while, and then we meant to wait till we could send you our address in Paris .. which still is to seek .. for we have fallen into a trap of an uncomfortable house in Paris & have been struggling to get out ever since our arrival .. so that the “rue de Grenelle” direction will not find us after six weeks at furthest from the present day. It was the fault of a rash friend, [3] who, in looking out for rooms for us, formed an unhappy attachment to certain yellow satin curtains in the salon, and chose to sacrifice to this attraction, … only the accom[m]odation necessary for our child, besides my husband’s dressing-room– Of course we could’nt stay, though a contract was signed for six months—so we have been struggling, struggling, doing nothing but struggle. At last we get out of it—shall, at least, in so many weeks–

In London we have had hard work as I said, & were heavily belaboured with visitors at the same time—which was the hardest part of it– My husband has seen his two volumes through the press, and they will be “out” presently—and a few of the best judges in England who have seen the proofs, confirm my belief in their great power. [4] That’s satisfactory of course– Then we saw Ruskin & Carlyle to advantage—and we had an “avatar” from Alfred Tennyson who came down suddenly from the isle of Wight & spent the greater part of two days at our house in Dorset Street, dined with us, smoked with us, and took wine with us (pas mal) [5] and ended by reading “Maud” through from the beginning to the end, enchanting us altogether– For my part I shall never get his voice out of my ears– It was rather chanting than reading .. but enchanting, as I said before. He is very interesting, and I heard him say things, while he sate with us, good to remember from such a man.

As to London, if it were not for the thought of getting out of it, who could bear London, having known Florence? Not I, indeed. The weather was not bad—excellent for England, they called it—and I never could see to the end of the street the whole time. That was too much to ask for– Men should’nt expect to see farther than over the way– Our Italian servant kept impressing upon his audience how impossible it would be for him to live in London, even if the citizens offered him Regent’s Street .. (which accounts for their not doing so.) and little Penini gave himself enormous airs with the natives in setting up for a true Tuscan and describing the churches & Cascine of Florence with the most lively exaggerations.

Dear Mrs Fell, your beautiful Tuscan summer must have been sadly darkened to you by the cholera affliction—& I assure you we have thought anxiously & mournfully of all our friends in Italy. Now, I hope the danger has passed—and that you can look at your children [6] without shrinking. Give my love, and my Penini’s to all of them. May they all play together again one day. I shall leave the rest for Robert to fill up– Does’nt “the sofa” want me? does’nt the “piano” want Robert? does’nt the “terrace” want Penini? Yes indeed– And the worst is—we want them– Oh, we are coming—we must come! But it cant be quite this year. With the kindest wishes, believe me

Affectionately & most truly yours

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

And dont forget to give my regards to your near neighbours [7] —will you?

[Continued by RB]

Dear Mrs Fell,—It is nearly pitch-dark & the letter has to go away—so I shall only write what I must—first necessary thing, then, is—do believe that we have, both of us, been most grateful for your letter, too grateful to answer it in a few off-hand lines; yet, perhaps a few such lines would have obtained us another letter by this time. Do be generous, & like yourself, and write again sooner than we deserve. We have been nearly a fortnight here without seeing a soul—save the two Bulwers, Father & son, whom I chanced on while house-hunting. I suppose, one must begin and see one’s friends now, for decency’s sake. How I wish I were in Italy just now! Do tell us all the news of it—all the gossip of it–

Give my kind remembrances to Mr Fell, if you please– Who knows when,—or if ever we shall all be together again! In any case,

Yours ever faithfully

Robert Browning.

Publication: None traced.

Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library and McGill University.

1. Year provided by reference to the return address.

2. Marianne Fell (née Offor, 1821–1903), daughter of John Offor and his wife Jemima (née Barraclough). In 1844 she became the second wife of her first cousin John Barraclough Fell (1815–1902), engineer and railway contractor, whose mother was his wife’s aunt. Fell had gone to Italy in 1852 as a partner in a firm headed by Thomas Brassey (1805–70) that built “several of the early Italian railways, amongst which were the Central of Italy, the Maremma and the Genoa and Voltre lines” (Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 151, 1903, p. 436). The Fells are listed in the Brownings’ address book of this period (AB-3) at Villino Trollope in Florence.

3. Louisa Corkran.

4. These were W.J. Fox, John Forster, and Robert Lytton, as indicated by RB in letter 3639.

5. “Not bad.”

6. The Fells had three children at this time: Emily Jemima (b. 1845), George Noble (1849–1939), and Frederick (1850–1904). There was later a fourth child, John Henry (1862–1910).

7. The Trollopes.

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