4206. EBB to Henrietta Cook
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 25, 156–159.
Hotel Hyacinthe, [1] St Honoré, Paris–
Friday– [Postmark: 9 July 1858]
Indeed I have behaved ill to you, my beloved Henrietta, only I count always on your having, in rebound, my letters to Arabel, & there was occasion to write to her. But, dearest, I have thought much of you,—& you put spirit & joy into me by what you wrote last of yourself & the children & of all mine. So grateful I was to you for that letter.
You will have heard, before you get this, that we are in Paris, & how we prospered on the road, & how quite convalescent I am– Robert declares I shall be set down as a “humbug,” I have recovered my looks so!– Still, I keep on with my medical discipline, & it is necessary, I suppose– I am not to bathe when we arrive at the sea—neither in hot nor cold baths, .. but to use the salt water at home—and if it pleases God to save us from anxieties & emotions (which have been the cause of all my evil) I shall be as strong as ever presently of course– So much for me– We have a list of places by the coast, between Havre & Dieppe– Trouville I rather lean to, though it is said to be somewhat fashionable & dear—but it’s French dearness—few English go there—& the sands are said to be magnificent, & the conveniences of life abundant– [2] And, you see, I dont want to go out into the wilderness– [3] I must have books & newspapers, & Pen must have a piano .. & we must all have carriages & horses, or else I, for one, may sit at the window for two months, .. seeing that walking is not my forte, & the rest of us will be a good deal restrained, if we have no means of wandering beyond the beach–
Dearest Henrietta & Surtees, what do you think of my scheme (or rather dream) of your coming over to join us on the French coast instead of going to London. You might steam from Southhampton to Dieppe or Havre—& the children would be the better for sea & change, & go back to England with plenty of French & health– See if it would not be a good kind affectionate plan on your part—see!– Then you could return to Bryngwyn for the rest of the year, & I should have had my share. I wont teaze—I wont teaze even Arabel .. though I have pulled her by the sleeve a very little in my last letter—I wont teaze—I only entreat your attention.
So interested I was by all you told me of the darling children– I think they must very satisfactorily please you in their progress with the piano– Take care not to overwork Altham though—for I cannot agree with you that music should “not be considered a lesson”. On the contrary, I consider the early stages .. the association of the written note with the sound, & the double act of attention to base & treble, very trying to the brain. Peni can practice now without much mental fatigue, .. but, even now, the necessity of application to new music is exhausting to him– I should think your children were worked quite double what he is subjected to—at least double. You will think him very deficient on many points of education, but I am willing to wait for those– Robert says its disgraceful that he should know absolutely nothing of arithmetic for instance– Well—there’s a time for all things. I want the modern languages swept out of the way during his first years—& then there must be Greek & Latin, which one groans to think of– I quite approve of the dancing, & am covetous of it for Pen– I shall take the first opportunity of giving him the same advantage, I assure you– And when we get down to the sea, I shall get some French person to read French with him & talk, that his pronunciation may be as good as possible– He pronounces very well now,—but as a foreigner of course; & at his age the native accent is acquirable. As for reading French, he can take a French book & amuse himself with it as if it were English or Italian: he read a volume of the railway library in the train from Marseilles– So Altham is in Berquin– Pen has finished “L’ami des enfants” & is now reading [‘]L’ami des Adolescents,’ [4] which makes our second volume of Berquin, a large book in double columns– Tell Altham that Peni manages to speak French very nicely—he is proud of it & not shy–
Nothing in the shape of a city can be more beautiful than Paris– Wonderfully developped in architectural beauty it is– Even with eyes full of Italy we stand loudly admiring.
And there is a Mr Gurney [5] here as a clergyman, who would please you and Surtees—steeple-high in doctrine, but gentle in discourse. He has just been here talking, only not theology– The low-church preacher is a Dr Armstrong, [6] just as narrow (forgive me) the other way– He is so successful in conversions among the Catholics .. (he has converted three thousand) & so violent in the process, that the French Government appointed the present archbishop of Paris, [7] who is a marvel of mildness, on purpose that two fierce controversialists might not burn up Paris– But here’s a Gurney who is ten archbishops in himself–
The pain we have here– Poor Lady Elgin is dying– She has been past speech for long, but her face lighted up when she heard we were coming– Now, within these two days she has had a new attack, & it is absolutely impossible, say the medical men, that she can survive it– Her son [8] has come from England & she has two daughters with her, [9] —but they have not told Lady Augusta who is with the Duchess of Kent!– This seems to me very wrong– They “dont like to take her away”– Lady Elgin “would’nt recognize her”: those are the reasons. I cannot admit them– In a day or two all will be over. The dear Hedleys will be very sorry to hear this.
Robert has the comfort of finding his father extremely well & happy to see him– He & Sarianna go down to the sea with us. We are to be back in Florence at the end of September, Dr Harding said, but we shall probably stay into October– Then we go home—whence after a month or two we go to the Nile .. or, if the purse fails, to Rome– Robert wont have the sharp Florence winter for me this time. I have been ordering a bonnet, or rather the reviving of an old one– Bonnets are rather larger than they were—that is, worn more in front– Petticoats are still comprehensive, & hoops regnant– I had one long ago– Mrs Jameson lectures me for my obedience to fashions, but she rather should lecture Robert—& does, sometimes. I confess for my own part I have rather a weakness for the sweeping petticoats. In Italy they are invaluable for coolness. A hoop & a dress ecquips [sic] you. Here indeed, we dont want preservation against heat– Peni & I have returned to our flannels since we arrived, & really shiver in them. Yet it has been intensely hot here, & the present weather is the reaction under the influence of thunderstorms, people tell us–
Dont you think, dearest Henrietta, that Arabel had better come to me at once? I do– Why she should wait I cant understand. George is necessary to me, but his convoy is not to her–
God bless you dearest dear Henrietta– Love me. I love you dearly & think of you fondly, especially now when we are near yet dont touch. May we touch. God grant it. Love to dear Surtees & the darlings.
Your Ba
Address: Angleterre / Mrs Surtees Cook / Wilton / Taunton / Somersetshire.
Publication: Huxley, pp. 293–295 (in part).
Manuscript: British Library.
1. Sic, for Hôtel de Londres (see letter 4203, note 1).
2. Trouville, on the Normandy coast at the mouth of the Touques river, lies across the Seine estuary from Le Havre. According to Murray’s A Handbook for Travellers in France (1858), Trouville “is a rapidly increasing bathing-place, much frequented from July to Sept. for sea-bathing: the sea is not so rough as at Havre, and the water is more salt” (p. 70). Beginning in the mid-1860’s, Deauville, just across the river from Trouville, became the fashionable place to go in Normandy.
3. Cf. Matthew 11:7 and Luke 7:24.
4. L’Ami des adolescents (1784–85).
5. Archer Thompson Gurney (1820–87), theologian and author (see letter 1803, note 3).
6. Unidentified.
7. François Nicolas Madeleine Morlot (1795–1862), Archbishop of Paris from 1857 until his death.
8. Probably, Thomas Charles Bruce (1825–90), youngest of four sons born to Elizabeth Bruce (née Oswald, 1790–1860) and her husband, James Bruce (1766–1841), 7th Earl of Elgin. The three other sons were James (1811–63), 8th Earl of Elgin, who was then on government business in China (see letter 3999, note 9); Robert (1813–62), appointed governor of the Prince of Wales in November 1858; and Frederick William Adolphus (1814–67), appointed minister to China in December 1858.
9. Lady Charlotte Locker (née Bruce, 1817–72) and Lady Frances Anne Baillie (née Bruce, 1831–94). Evidently, Lady Augusta Bruce (1822–76) arrived soon afterwards (see the end of letter 4207).
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