4093. EBB to Arabella Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 24, 208–212.
Florence.
Novr 7– [1857] [1]
My beloved Arabel, I am almost afraid I shall be too late to catch you at Bryngwyn if I delay writing any longer. Here is november—and you did not mean to stay till the cold: and even we are taking in wood & preparing for fires. Dearest, your letter to Peni was a great pleasure & glory to him, and he talks of writing an answer .. which I wont wait for though .. I must have this envelope to myself. He is quite well, I thank God, brilliant with colour & curls,—& distinguishing himself more & more in music– I am sure you would be surprised to hear him. Never once has he & Robert come to contention over the piano since his illness: things go on in a miraculously smooth manner– Robert is so proud of his progress—& no wonder! the pupil does immense honor to the master. I really believe that M. del Bene does not enter into the credit of it as much as might be supposed, though continuing to give his daily lesson– But see the advantage to Peni of two masters, each competent & regular, at the same time– Having an hour with one & an hour with the other– Peni often tries to make the time longer, so far from finding it heavy & long. “Now do, dear papa, hear me that over again, it is so very pretty.” The child has taken quite a passion for the occupation, & told us this morning that he “intended” to be a “professor” presently. Yesterday M. del Bene accompanied him on the flute throughout his lesson. There’s glory for you!– I wish my lessons went on as well. They dont, quite as well: that is, he is very often inattentive & provoking, .. in spite of the undeniable progress he makes .... in German, for instance. When he has his head in the right place he reads and translates half a page of Grimm’s story-book quite nicely, so as to make me proud of my pupil too– People hearing of these things & not knowing the process, cry out, as Dr Harding the other day, that we “shall work him into his grave” .. till I explain the exact amount of the study .. viz that except for the music, which he calls “his amusement and no lesson at all,” an hour and a half more than covers the whole course of study for the day. Then said Dr Harding, “That is no more than is really good for him.” Indeed even the hour & a half is often shortened– I have held him very loosely since his illness, being anxious chiefly for the strength & health which are now in such a satisfactory state in all ways– But he learns fast. We have settled no plan yet decisively about Rome. We may go or we may not: but it strikes me that Robert is rather cooling down from his desire to go there. I dont know– We shall see– As for me, I have been enjoying the tranquillity here lately, & feel so much bettered by it that I shall not be the stirring-up principle towards another removal. You know I am never very zealous about leaving Florence (where I lead just the life that suits me—) unless when there’s some strong exceptional motive. Bryngwyn must be beautiful, & I like to think of you all there—only dont stay in the cold, if you find it cold, so as to suffer from it in any degree. Give my tender love to Storm & all of them. It pleased me so to think of Storm’s caring to ask about Penini– Is Mary with you? or is Henrietta with you? There were symptoms in her last letter of impatience under separation; & I cant fancy that she will bear Mary away from her much longer, [2] however supported by her love for you and by Mrs Cook’s philosophy. [3] Try to persuade her that two children are enough. Let her think of me who have only one– By the way, Peni had “a most curious dream” the other night, which he told us at breakfast. He dreamt “he had twelve sisters, & they were all boys!”– (Peni’s idea of the English of words conveying relationship is often rather uncommon.) “and a robber wanted to eat them, but they each had a pair of wings in their pocket, which they put on & flew away.” Being a complete Florentine he wondered if he could get any good out of this dream for the uses of the lottery!!– So funny that child is, he amuses one in spite of one’s self sometimes. He broke out of deep thought the other day to address Robert .. “Dear papa, will you tell me,—what symptom have you for not believing in the spirits?”– He meant of course .. “what motive”–
Darling Arabel, I am very glad you have a little dog. Tell me the kind & the colour. Those creatures are more helpful than they seem.
Our friends the Eckleys are gone to Ægypt,—and I have letters from Sophie Eckley .. (my particular friend who is very loving to me .. and a medium! .. & whom Robert likes nearly as much as I do ..) dated Leghorn, then Naples, then Malta. They are to be back in Florence in the spring,—and if we dont return here for the winter after this winter, she will go to Paris she says, not to be away from me.! Her husband follows the breath of her lips—she has only to speak. They have a child, one child, a boy, the age of Peni, who looks older but cant read yet. Peni & he are great friends.– Mrs Newton Crosland is here– Do you remember? That fatal visit in London two years ago! [4] I have seldom been more surprised than when she walked into the room last week– Robert received her with open arms, & told her to talk to me as much as she liked on spiritual subjects, without disturbance from him! She is not however a strong-minded woman & has not written a wise book. [5] The subject suffers much from treatment by such hands, truthful, devout, & candid as she is– Miss Heaton has been dragged on to Rome. I like her better than you do– I like her for her devotion to art, which I assure you she pays for, and also (forgive me) for her regard for me, which is quite undeniable. She is full of the attentions which prove a constant thought; writes from England everything that can interest me, .. even to making extracts from books, .. and does’nt expect a “thank you” in return. By the way, we have had letters lately from Mr Ruskin & Mr Fox– [6] Mr Fox wrote to me on the very day on which he was elected for Oldham, [7] —and such a kind, kind letter. On ‘Aurora Leigh.’
Wilson is not yet confined, & has not let her house, which is of more consequence. I am having made for the new baby a grey merino mantle & hat, which I flatter myself will be very elegant. Annunciata has made for Peni a most pretty little blouse for the winter,—a minute square of black on a white ground of merino, trimmed deeply with black braid round & round, & up & down the sleeves, & rows of black silk buttons. She sews like lightning for quickness–
Do you mean to ask Miss Monro [8] to stay with you this winter? It would not be a bad plan, would it? and I dare say she would like it extremely–
My darling Arabel, I have never had an opportunity or remembrance (Peni’s illness crossed it out of my head I think) to tell you how I understood .. oh, no sort of unkindness about the silence on the subject of a certain anniversary. [9] If you had been consciously silent I should have thought it natural enough: but as it was .. why, I myself forget every sort of date, happily for me—dont you know it of old? Dearest, you could’nt be unkind about such a thing. I knew it before you spoke, & there was therefore no need of speaking.
Peni has just come in from his music-lesson, & brings with him a new long piece of music from Verdi (from the ‘Traviata,’ under pardon of Mr Spurgeon!) [10] which he is to set about directly. He is charmed. I said the other day .. “Oh Peni, I am so pleased about your music.” “And I am,” he returned, “I can assure you.” Most unaffectedly vain he is of it—and frankly this morning reproached Robert for not asking him to play last night when we had a few people here.! There’s modesty for you!
Mr Powers was here last night, & Mrs Crosland, Mr Mignaty (a Greek artist) and Isa Blagden– I heard among other things of mediums by whom the spirits produce & present fruits & flowers unknown on the earth, which are seen, handled, tasted, & smelt … “of taste the most delicious,” was the expression. [11] A white sheet of paper is spread out, & the fruit produced upon it!– There are three millions of believers in America at this day–
Between the bloodthirstiness of the Sepoys & that of the Times, [12] the subject of India is quite revolting to me, .. and the abstracts of all the sermons delivered on the “day of humiliation,” as given in the newspapers, [13] were absurd & painful, one more than another.
Dearest Arabel, you dont speak enough of yourself, dear.
<…> [14]
money from the Tuscan funds & put it into the New York funds—but we resisted though six percent were attainable at New York, they said. May God bless you, beloved Arabel—God love you & all of you–
Your ever loving Ba.
Address: Angleterre viâ France / Miss Barrett / Bryngwyn / Oswestry / Salop.
Publication: EBB-AB, II, 323–327.
Manuscript: Gordon E. Moulton-Barrett.
1. Year provided by postmark.
2. The Cooks joined their daughter, Mary, Arabella, and other Moulton-Barrett family members at Bryngwyn on 17 November and remained there until 21 January (see Surtees, 17 November 1857 and 21 January 1858).
3. That Arabella should keep Mary “till Altham goes to school” (see the penultimate paragraph in letter 4085).
4. Writing many years later, Camilla Crosland recounted the visit in London: “The last time I had seen the Brownings in England the conversation turned to the subject of the then recent spiritual manifestations which had been the talk of the town. Mrs. Browning was deeply interested in many things I had to tell her, her husband joining at first but little in the conversation between us. When, however, I offered to lend her a certain book on the subject, which she wished to see, he broke in, somewhat vehemently, begging I would do nothing of the kind, as he did not wish her mind to dwell on such things. I remember Mrs. Browning exclaiming rather warmly, ‘Robert, my soul is my own,’ though, with wife-like obedience, she yielded. But in Florence, with a smile on his face, Robert Browning asked me if I chanced to have that book with me, as now he had no objection to his wife reading it!” (Landmarks of a Literary Life: 1820–1892, 1893, pp. 263–264).
5. Light in the Valley: My Experiences of Spiritualism (1857).
7. William Johnson Fox, Liberal M.P. for Oldham, 1847–56 and 1857–62, had lost his seat to a conservative in the Parliamentary elections of late March and early April 1857. However, there were two seats in Parliament representing Oldham, and the other seat, held by James Platt (1823–57), also a Liberal, became vacant when he was killed in a hunting accident on 27 August. Fox was elected without opposition on 19 October, the day before he wrote the Brownings (see The Times, 20 October 1857, p. 7).
8. Probably a slip of the pen for Russell, i.e., Mary Anne Russell, whom EBB had suggested in letter 4014 as “a pleasant & sympathizing companion” for Arabella. Two of Miss Russell’s sisters, Emma and Jane Eliza, each married a Monro (see letter 2285, note 3).
9. Presumably, Arabella forgot the Brownings’ wedding anniversary (12 September).
10. Although there is no specific reference to Verdi in Charles Spurgeon’s sermon referred to in note 13 below, he spoke out against “the nature of our public amusements, and observed with regret that ‘lords and ladies frequently sat in theatres to listen to plays which were a long way from decent.’” La Traviata was based on La Dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas (fils) and would not have been considered “decent” by Spurgeon.
11. Perhaps a reference to Miss Andrews; see letter 4092, note 6.
12. The “bloodthirstiness” of the sepoys was demonstrated by the massacre at Cawnpore (see letter 4026, note 3). That of The Times refers to its hawkish support of military reprisals against the rebels/mutineers. In one editorial, for example, a suggestion was made to clergymen: “Many have, no doubt, improved the occasion of the Indian massacres to expatiate on the uncertainty of life and the perils which at all times environ us. Might they not tell their flocks that evil deeds should not go unpunished, and that the avenger of blood is as necessary in this as in any former age?” (1 October 1857, p. 6).
13. 7 October 1857 had been appointed as a special day of fasting and “humiliation” in response to the Sepoy Rebellion that had begun in May 1857 at Meerut. The Times for 8 October 1857 contained reports of 102 services held throughout London, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, The Temple Church, St. Paul’s Knightsbridge, as well as Spurgeon’s address to an audience of more than 23,000 persons at the Crystal Palace, in which he preached that “the arrest of Indian Sepoys was not war; and while earth demanded their punishment, he believed that God would sanction it” (p. 8).
14. The letter was continued on the flap and throat of the envelope, but the flap has been excised.
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