4062. EBB to Isa Blagden
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 24, 156–159.
[Bagni di Lucca]
Wednesday– [30 September 1857] [1]
I am so sorry, my dearest Isa, that I was not in time to answer your letter yesterday– I waited to write till I had your letter, and just when I should have done my duty by it, I missed the hour, through being kept out too long in a drive with Mrs Eckley– By this fact, you will understand that I am happier about my precious child– He is going on admirably,—indeed he has been quite without fever for two days & nights, only the doctor wont let him out of bed, or add a crumb of comfort to his diet of thin broth. He is allowed however a little more in quantity– “A most cruel doctor,” says he: but I am not in the least inclined to rebel, the relapse in consequence of that four hours taking out of bed & feeding with dry toast, frightened me so– The poor darling suffers however from hunger,—& it was hard to stand by while he looked at a dirty crust (which he had been using for drawing) & cried, “Oh mama, what I would give if I might eat it!!!”–
He has been very patient, very manageable—and I say of my baby, as you do of yours, dearest Isa, [2] .. “If you could see his goodness even you would love him better than you do”– By the way, how satisfactory that report is! And if the going to Mrs Kinney’s [3] in the evening is not imprudent (which I suppose it is’nt) what a comfortable evidence the fact brings of improvement in strength! I do congratulate him (say so with my love) and you, and all of us. It will be great joy to Robert & me to see him restored, beyond the reach of Basantinis– [4]
Let me tell you that the madame in question came to me yesterday– Full of enquiries about “Mr Bulwer,” and yourself and Annette– She shook her supreme head when I spoke of an “evening party”– There was a decided odour of ambrosial curls, tell dear Lytton. She came to me yesterday morning, as the gods usually do, “out of a machine,” [5] at the point of adversity——for here I must relate to you in what a complication of difficulties we have been & are–
You know Wilson is in Florence– She had to go, & she went,—to her grief & mine, .. poor things, both of us– [6] Meantime poor Peni’s ill fortune in having to do with quite a stranger just when he most wanted a friend, seemed compensated as I told you, by the wonderful activity & cheerful kindness of the “new broom,” & by the sudden fancy he took to her. Well—in the moment when he & I began to breathe, she falls ill, .. through exposing herself at night, it is thought, .. she never stopping to dress herself but running out stockingless to the kitchen out of doors– You know the situation of our kitchen– A dreadful cough with fever is the consequence,—& up to this moment, the doctor wont say that it may not end in gastric fever!!! Conceive of it! She is confined to her bed in the room next to Peni, & although better this morning, & although I myself expect nothing worse than a bad chest-cold running its course, yet she is plainly ill, ill, .. with some fever, & a tongue as white as this paper– I go in to Peni & say to him, “What would you like me to do? we must have somebody.” Peni answers resolutely, .. “he’ll have one of Annunziata’s sisters.” So I send for a sister, [7] who stays yesterday, & just as we begin to work together, is sent for by a lady to whom she was previously engaged—!!. Now I have another younger sister, unused to service; and if Annunciata’s illness continues till after tomorrow, we may have a third sister who is now with Mrs Greville– [8] But is’nt it all most miserable? I take courage however in these depths of discomfort, because Penini is apparently doing very well & not saddened .. wonderful to say .. by these changes, not too much. He thinks the sisters like one another, & as they are all by turns devoted to him he gossips on about the chesnuts & the grapes & other subjects of interest. If you were to see his bed, covered with sticks & chesnuts—poor pet! Such castles in the air he builds, great festas at Florence, and a certain drive to the toyshop which he & I are to take together immediately on our arrival–
Oh Isa, you need’nt beg us to set out soon– I would give anything to be at home– We hear of several cases of fever at the Villa & the neighbourhood, and although Mdme Basantini swears it is much worse both at Pisa & Florence, (in consequence of the rains after the peculiar heat of the summer) still I know the air is dryer at Florence, and the house warmer & more convenient at Casa Guidi, and I shall be altogether relieved at getting away. Peni is half promised to get up for an hour tomorrow (did I write that before?) & I hope in a day or two he may be permitted a more solid diet– As it is, he is so weak he cant stand– But he bellows, & sings, and makes bags with needle & thread, & writes music, & packs up his desk for Florence, .. & looks like an angel, with his long hair & sweet still face on the pillow– As he lies there, he is’nt at all altered—not even much paler. But he is thinner. The little arms are very frail. Still, I am so thankful I dare not murmur for any drawback; and after all he will soon, if it pleases God, recover the diminished strength & flesh–
Today it is a bright beautiful day—and yesterday too it was fine,—but previously we had some very wet days & nights. Mrs Jameson has gone today to Barga– Did you not know she was staying here?
We talk of going on monday—but it’s only talk I fear– I cannot see the possibility– Peni does’nt get up till thursday, if then: and then it will be only for an hour. He must go out in the carriage once or twice before we attempt the journey– Our present plan is to go from hence at six in the morning to Lucca, & then take the Pistoia railroad. You see the fatigue is confined to a few hours only—we shall be in Florence by twelve .. noon: & there will be no evening air, which wd be a risk for him. Sleeping on the road among the mosquitos at Pisa or Lucca, would scarcely relieve him–
I am so glad Wilson is safe at Florence. There is one evil escaped.
The owner of the horse has been trying to get fifteen dollars [9] out of Robert, for the injury done to horse & saddle by that frightful fall– Robert gets out of it by paying fifteen pauls. [10] But nobody was to blame except the guide, who should have interfered. It has frightened me so that I shall gladly find myself out of reach of all mountain excursions of the kind. We seem to be under some planet of terror & escape just now. May God bring us through safely.
I am so sorry to hear of Annette’s rheumatic suffering—and of the nine scudi—how provoking! Give her my love with Robert’s, who is full of sympathy in respect to the portrait-taking. He himself (poor unfortunate,) is reduced to only me for a model,—& has made a sketch today which really is like, .. yes, really! [11] You shall see—you shall see–
Dearest dear Isa, how good you are. But you must’nt come, dear, there’s no need. Only do think of me– Thoughts such as yours help– May God bless you all–
Your loving Ba–
My spiritual news from America (from letters just arrived to Americans here [12] ) are very different from yours.
Publication: B-IB, pp. 131–134.
Manuscript: Fitzwilliam Museum.
1. Dated by EBB’s reference to Wilson’s return to Florence; 30 September 1857 was the only Wednesday between Wilson’s departure (26 September 1857) and that of the Brownings (7 October 1857).
2. A reference to Robert Lytton, who was recuperating slowly.
3. Lytton did not, after all, go to Mrs. Kinney’s; see the end of letter 4066.
4. Doubtless Gregorio Barsantini and his wife (“the madame” mentioned in the following line). He ran a trattoria in Alla Villa (see Murray’s Handbook for Travellers in Northern Italy, 1858, part II, p. 466), close to the Pelicano hotel where Lytton, Isa Blagden, and Annette Bracken had been staying.
5. EBB alludes to “deus ex machina”; literally, “a god from a machine,” a theatrical device of the ancient Greeks.
6. Wilson left on Saturday, 26 September (see letter 4063).
7. Letter 4070 reveals that Pen’s first choice to stand in for Annunziata was her sister Giuseppa (b. 1832), called “Giuseppina” by EBB, but she was in service elsewhere and unavailable. The eldest sister, Maria (b. 1824), was then engaged but remained only one day. There may have been some miscommunication concerning the “younger sister, unused to service,” Estere (b. 1837), who is described by EBB as “a girl in her teens” (letter 4070), though she was twenty at the time. By a process of elimination, the sister in Mrs. Greville’s service was either Filomana (b. 1835) or Carlotta (b. 1839).
10. Equivalent to about six shillings and eight pence.
11. This sketch has not been traced.
12. Presumably the Eckleys.
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