4136. EBB to Sarianna Browning
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 25, 46–48.
[Florence]
[Postmark: 22 February 1858]
My dearest Sarianna I can send you clean bills of health now, but Robert & Peni both have had real grippe– Before, they only pretended to have it—I mean it was no more than simple “colds in the head.” Now, it has been ‘grippe’ .. real grippe .. fever, languor, everything, only not of the worst kind, observe. Robert was in bed one whole day however, .. a rare thing for him—and Peni, for one whole day, and a part of two others. One gets easily frightened with fever in Italy, .. & so I was frightened out of my small wits on the night when poor dear Robert shivered & burned .. but the morning coming & ‘grippe’ developping itself, of course there was no room for fearing, only for taking care. His throat was not affected, I am happy to say, though he had cough, as Peni had,—& then Robert’s affection was complicated as usual with bilious derangement, so that we had to have recourse to the ordinary remedy of blue pill– Little Pen lost a few days music-lessons, & filled up the gap with story-books & Wilson’s baby .. expressing his opinion at the end of the day’s confinement to the bed, that he “should certainly have died if it had’nt been for the baby!—his only comfort!” Now he is out again with cheeks as red as ever—& Robert too has put off his invalidship. We had no doctors—only doctoring of our own: blue pill for Robert, & castor oil for Peni, followed up by a course of homœopathic medecine (dont laugh, or do!) under the auspices of Fanny Haworth. Robert is going on with it seriously & systematically, to give it a trial for that biliousness of his which is so apt to return at every irritation or fatigue of body or mind, & it seems to both of us that it promises well so far. [1] Peni decidedly prefers homœopathic comfits to castor oil,—& though in active cases I never would trust their degree of activity, in chronic affections they have virtue–
By the way, dont accuse me of sacrificing Wilson’s baby to Peni’s caprices & the danger of the grippe. It was not my fault that Wilson would make the little creature lie on his pillow all day,—the babe himself had grippe enough at the time to prevent her caring about infection. It has been a universal malady here—some people confined to their beds for a fortnight together. Peni caught it from Robert & had a relapse through running out on the terrace to look at masks.
Poor little Pen—it really was hard on him– From all those last days of the carnival, the whole bloom & joy of it, he was cut off. His domino he lent to his friend Emilio [2] —that pretty domino about which there had been so many dreams! & on account of which I had been teazed almost to death! He bore it all bravely till the last day dawned,—and that morning, poor child, his fortitude gave way; he refused to get out of bed, & lay there with tears in his eyes, till Robert brought an exhortation to tag on to the end of mine & Annunciata’s. “What was the use of his getting up? He did’nt mean ever to get up again.” Poor darling. Not a word did he say about the carnival,—but we all knew what was in his little thoughts, & the cause of this despair of life in general.
We consoled him as we could. I gave him five pauls—& Robert a promise that he should go twice at least to the theatre before the winter was over,—& so he got up his spirits a little & bore to hear the masks shouting & singing in the street. A great trial!
Three of my brothers have sailed for Jamaica, [3] & are to be in England, they say, in July. My brother Henry is to be married at the end of April & to live in Devonshire– Arabel continues to like her London house, & has taken a little cousin of ours, (rather a distant cousin but a Barrett), to live with her,—a little girl, nine years old. [4] It will be a kindness to the family who have suffered reverses of fortune, and, as far as relates to dear Arabel herself, this is a matter of personal preference upon which I have no right to have an opinion. On one side, there will be less loneliness—on another, more restraint– She is said to be a pretty nice child.
Fanny Haworth talks now of going straight to England in the spring—with the intention however of returning to Paris to settle. Only her words & intentions are equally uncertain & subject to change. She does not get on in society, & takes it to heart—which is melancholy for every reason. Going where she has been known .. into the old ways & places, she will not want what she wants here—only, I do fear that she will be nowhere very happy. God bless you both. I have good news of you dearest Sarianna from Jane Sandford .. (the English bill will calm all your fears)– [5] Is the dear Nonno quite well now? Our grippe to his grippe sends greeting. Peni’s best love with mine. And Peni is always eager about “Pucky.” [6]
your ever affecte
Ba.
Love to M. Milsand.
Address, in RB’s hand: France. / Mademoiselle Browning, / 151. Rue de Grenelle, / Faubourg St Germain, / Paris.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Lilly Library.
1. EBB later mentions some of the homœopathic concoctions that RB tried, including nux vomica in letter 4148, chamomile in letter 4149, and arsenic in letter 4159.
2. Emilio Del Bene, the son of Pen’s music master.
3. Charles John, Septimus, and Octavius.
4. Emma Barrett (see letter 4100, note 2).
5. EBB alludes to the Conspiracy to Murder Bill (see letter 4130, note 8). News of its defeat on 19 February would not have reached Florence by the time of this letter.
6. Sarianna and her father’s pet dog; called “Puck” in SD2188.
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