3808. EBB to Arabella Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 22, 252–253.
[Paris]
Thursday. [26 June 1856] [1]
Beloved Arabel, your letter comes & astounds us– Dear, we mean to be in London on monday night late, but we cant let Mr Kenyon pay for us. Robert says he wont admit of it. Lending the house was one thing. Do the best for us that you can, however. Peni sleeps in our bedroom, remember– Anything does for a bed for him—& Robert’s dressing room must be at hand.
Dearest Arabel, I and the Devil have not tails as long as those with which we are usually painted. [2] I wrote to you a long second letter [3] at Louisa Carmichael’s, which never cd have reached you, & I wrote it immediately after my first one, [4] fearing that you might fatigue yourself uselessly in searching for rooms for us– I am so vexed– The letter was long,—& besides a dissertation on the right use of sundays (which would have set you at the head of a “woman[’]s petition” for doubling the bands in all the parks, [5] with the ginger beer stalls appertaining, ..) there was an explanation of my meaning about “ends in life”, a reminder of all my preaching on that subject, & a protestation that, after it all, I was unlikely to advise you to set up as “fine lady”, I who admired you so for being so actively the contrary. I told you, however, that your duty, as an instrument, was to keep yourself in order, & not to so overstrain your bodily powers, at this time, (when much help from women & men is wanting), that you would be forced to lie by prematurely, cutting yourself off from the great priviledge of work & usefulness in this poor world of God’s. There now! Even in my horrible haste today I could be easy under the possibility of your misconstruing me on such a subject–
Oh—Electric despatches!—enough indeed to frighten you. Only bad news wd scarcely have been sent to you, when you have brothers to bear blows for you. A shower of loves from me on all of them! What joy to see their dear faces, & your’s, my own dear, dear, dear Arabel.
I am much better & stronger this last week– Yes, I had begun to feel rather dismal about myself, I kept so languid & spiritless in my body,—but the magnificent weather & floods of air rectify everything– I feel another creature again,—I was at church last sunday—& have shopped two days victoriously–
What makes me in haste today is, that I waited for Robert, & wont miss the post–
Your own Ba–
The fêtes were magnificent– [6] Peni was carried on Ferdinando’s shoulder through the crowd, having emerged from it with difficulty. He said to me—“Mama, I thought I was going to faint again and be dead.”
As to the house, .. in some way, the servants have made a difficulty—& dear Mr Kenyon did not feel equal to contending about it—that’s my view. But because he cant give us his house, having offered it, he must not consider himself obliged to pay for a house for us elsewhere. No, certainly. I am very anxious about him, very. Dear, let us know if you can get us rooms. We wont go to Devonshire Place for an interval.
Every moment I expect Jane Sandford with the carriage to take me to buy a new bonnet—(just to cover the knob of hair behind!) Now we lose our free house, I feel avaricious about such adornments.
Publication: EBB-AB, II, 241–242.
Manuscript: Gordon E. Moulton-Barrett.
1. Date provided by EBB’s reference to the Brownings’ imminent departure; 26 June 1856 was the last Thursday before the Brownings travelled from Paris to London, arriving on 29 June.
2. From the description in Revelation 12:3–4, where Satan is depicted as a “great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.”
3. This letter is missing.
6. See letter 3800, notes 11 and 12.
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