3804. EBB to Arabella Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 22, 249–250.
[Paris]
Sunday. [Postmark: 22 June 1856]
My ever dearest Arabel & ever! We can certainly stay here, and easily stay,—for the proprietress came yesterday to ask us to delay our departure at least till tuesday, because of the convenience to herself, & we had delayed going till tuesday at any rate, & I was about to write to you to say so. Robert is out. Jane Sandford took him & me to church, & he left us at the churchdoor to look in at Galignani’s—& I shall keep this open till the last moment to hear his conclusions. Certainly however we shall not go till thursday. [1]
Dearest dear, how you must have been tired & fagged, “you & others”, in looking for unfindable lodgings. I think of you chiefly, lest you be so tired as to be the worse for it—in which case I wd rather have taken my chance in the kennel than have used you so– We have been today to the Oratoire, & heard M. Cockerel, [2] who preaches there occasionally—it was Adolphe Monod’s church too. M. Cockerel preached today on “being all things to all men,” [3] quite magnificently. There were chinks & cavities where he was wanting—(he is wanting, you know, in certain respects) but there were some great things said very admirably, & with a boldness not common in the churches. People accuse him of Socinianism you are aware—(which is’nt truly done)– But he is not large & full in the Divinity—& I shd suspect him of a leaning to a sort of Arianism– Certainly he is not strong enough on internal Xstian experience .. or was not today. Still, & after all drawbacks, he preached magnificently,—& to my mind there are always drawbacks with preachers, of whatever colour & character. It is a curious feature of the Oratoire church, that you hear a great variety of doctrine there—for instance, last sunday, there was the induction of a M. Grandpierre, [4] (in the place of Adolphe Monod) who preached afterwards evangelically, in the strictest sense,—& a beautiful discourse it was.
How my words tumble one over another I cant show you the necessity of—but I have been interrupted by a farewell visit from Miss Power—& we have been in one another’s arms with a shower of tears on her part. She is really an interesting, lovely person, <& whatever Lady Blessington’s views may be she is guiltless of corrupting her, I am sure.> [5]
Surely, after the first month,—at the dead time of year, .. they should diminish our rent & take two guineas.
Address: Angleterre. / Miss Barrett. / 50. Wimpole Street / London.
Publication: EBB-AB, II, 238–240.
Manuscript: Gordon E. Moulton-Barrett.
1. EBB wrote and crossed out: “Is the house taken from then,—so that we could’nt stay out the week here without paying double?”
2. Sic, for Coquerel; see letter 3664, note 10. L’Oratoire, one of the seven Reformed churches in Paris at this time, was located at 157 Rue St. Honoré.
3. Cf. I Corinthians 9:22.
4. Jean Henri Grandpierre (1799–1874), Swiss protestant pastor and president of the consistoire of Paris.
5. The passage in angle brackets is reconstructed, having been obliterated after receipt, probably by Arabella. The conclusion of the letter is missing, except the postscript written in the throat of the envelope. Marguerite Blessington (née Power, 1789–1849), Countess of Blessington and aunt of Marguerite Power, had been the editor of The Book of Beauty and The Keepsake. Known for her profligate lifestyle, she left England in 1849 very much in debt and, later that same year, died in Paris.
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