4324. EBB to Arabella Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 26, 37–42.
[Rome]
[Postmark: 22 January 1859]
<***> with her two hands– There she sits in the next room, always alone, always at work, & always cheerful & obliging. Never does a man come to the house to visit her, and she scarcely ever goes out except with Penini, or when I send her to a shop. A most excellent servant certainly—& what time she can have for active wickedness it is impossible for me to imagine. [1]
I told her that this charge came from Paris, naming no names—& she exclaimed instantly against the French cook who had made her cry so one day, she said, by hinting at that very thing when the cook was angry .. saying, “You are not a good woman, which is proved by so & so—and we, French, know that Italian women are always vicious &c!”–
Well—now let us wash our hands & sweeten our thoughts, & talk of something else. I am so very glad, my dearest Arabel that Penini’s photograph pleased our dear Storm, & that dear dearest Storm cared enough about it to have a copy. [2] The idea passed through my mind at Havre of sending him some such memorial, & then I felt … shy—not sure that he would care– The fact is, that the photograph you gave me of Pen, does him infinitely more justice– [3] The hair falls in smaller ringlets & more loosely, & the attitude is more graceful. You cant think how all artists admire it calling it a “perfect Velasquez,—” or how exquisitely alive it looks through a microscope. I sometimes brood over the idea of having a miniature made from it—which proves that I am satisfied with it to the uttermost. As to my photograph .. I am glad Storm does not accept it for me, for certainly, like or unlike, it represents a woman in despair—oh, it’s too tragic, Arabel. But George’s is better– Has Storm seen George’s? And Robert has a little front view which, though sad enough, is not absolutely disheartening. [4] Well, I have my revenge with the artists over the sun!– There, has Gordigiani made a portrait of me at Florence, [5] .. a large buxom, radiant matron, with a torrent of black ringlets at each cheek. Here, has Miss Fox made a portrait of me at Rome, [6] a dimpled rosy “pretty woman of five & twenty,” with a stream of brown ringlets at each cheek. Both equally unlike me in the opinion of the best critics. (When Robert saw Gordigiani’s portrait at his return, [7] he gave it up at once!) Now Field Talfourd (an artist here—brother of the Judge, & said to be unfailing in his likenesses) is coming on monday to try his hand. And Mr Leighton is to do it afterwards. [8] Mr Talfourd has a commission from Miss Heaton who besought me so that I could not help yielding—though really its horrible waste of time. She says that after her death she shall bequeath it to the Gallery of memorable persons—!! [9] If it’s like, you shall have a photograph, & Storm shall too—tell him with my love & a kiss–
Oh, dear, dear Storm. And he is going again, going again. How it pains me to think of his going! —Meanwhile you seem to have had a very merry Christmas indeed. I wish you had sent me the newspaper. I wish you had told me besides some more particulars of Henrietta’s darlings, & the recitations– I drink up every word.
It gave me real joy to hear of dear Occy’s settled prospects,—though he did not write to tell me, as Harry did– But give him the tenderest word of congratulation you can find in your own heart: it will be true to mine. And offer to his Charlotte a tender sisterly kiss from me, & tell her that I have faith in her that she will make our Occy a happy man. Let me hear everything about their arrangements .. about wedding-gifts & the like. What is best for us to do, I wonder?
Now this is all delightful,—but it is not delightful, but much the contrary that you should be suffering still with your face, my darling, darling Arabel. I was in hopes that after the crisis, it would go right. But darling, are you sure you dont expose yourself to the cold? Take care of your precious self, dear, dear,—& remember that you are precious. Here is Hatty Hosmer the sculptress with the same affection .. in the glands .. which has shown itself for the first time this winter– She has been forced to have the gland lanced, & the swelling seems to have begun again– She fancies that she has weakened herself through staying too many summers in Rome,—there being some original tendency in the constitution.
Did you ever read “Lost Love”? A beautiful, touching story, written by the Miss Ogle who is here with her family. We have taken a great liking to her– She is full of talent, & has sensibility in her look, in her voice. When I say “we like her,” I exclude Peni .. who, when I was praising her the other day at breakfast .. & calling her “quite pretty” (for the sake of her dark eyes, and fine sweet smile,) exclaimed, “Now really mama, she is’nt pretty: she’s very ugly—and I think that altogether she’s abomimable.” “What do you mean, Peni,” said Robert rather sternly. “Has she offended you in anything,” added I, scenting an occult motive– “Yes, mama, I must say she has offended me. When we had that great party, and I was handing her some cake .. think of that, .. I handing her some cake, papa! .. she said to me, “I saw you this morning, misbehaving yourself in the Piazza di Spagna”. She said that to me before she said even How do you do: and I call it very impertinent & very abomimable. I said to myself at the time, Catch me ever calling you pretty. And I do call her very ugly: she has a turned up nose.” “Oh Peni,” said I, [“]that’s the way you judge of beauty.” — “I know, mama, people may be pretty who are not good—but she’s not pretty & not good. She’s abomimable.”
“You’re a foolish child,” said Robert decisively, [“]& I suppose you did misbehave yourself or she would’nt have said so.” “I did not. I cant think what she meant. Certainly I frightened a foolish girl with my pistol, & she cried—but that was’nt misbehaving myself, because she was foolish. A great girl, much greater than me ..” —“Oh Peni,” said I—“I am afraid you did misbehave– And after all, Miss Ogle only said it in play–”
“Well, I dont like such play. When I was handing her cake! No, papa. I like all your friends except Miss Ogle. I dont like Miss Ogle. She’s my Lost Love.”
Pen gets more & more clever in conversation, & one explodes sometimes in trying to put him down: and really he is very good with it all, & improves in the best things– He does dictations in Italian & English now (half a page of Roman history)– [10] The music gets on well, & there are nearly two hours & a half of daily practising. He is more susceptible of being found fault with than he used to be, .. particularly by Robert—and drops into floods of tears when there is trouble at the music— “I am so sorry, dear papa, to have displeased you”– “I am not displeased, Peni—but I think you might pay more attention”– “There now. You are displeased in your mind—oh I am so sorry!” (sobbing.) Then there’s a quantity of kissing & promising to be good another day. Pen does’nt care as much for my displeasure, I observe– He is quite well, but I kept him in the house for a fortnight .. long after he was well– I was afraid of the cold wind. Ah, Arabel! Altham & Mary can afford to have coughs: but with Pen we are always thinking of hereditary chests. Then for two or three days he had a worse cough than I ever remember in him—not very troublesome, but sounding hollow & hurting his chest. We kept him in these two rooms till it was .. not better .. but gone. Never let a cough get into a habit. If it had lasted one more day we should have given him oil—but that proved not to be necessary. Homœopathy & warm rooms cured him. Let me add too a very fine woollen waistcoat up to the throat & with long sleeves, which I sent out & bought & persuaded him to wear next his skin. It is as fine & soft as silk, & he likes it very much now. I told you he had begun to read Monte Cristo in an Italian translation with me. When he had his cough I would’nt let him read to me, so he took to reading it by himself & has taken to the book with a passion, a passion, Arabel!! He is now in the fourth volume—& I sometimes find him at night reading “just one chapter, mama,” with a candle set up on a table near his little bed. — You ought to hear him talk– “O Dumas, Dumas, you are a great man! I heard you were a great man by mama,—but to think of your writing such a magnificent book as this, I never did!” I dont clearly remember some of the book—there may be things in it, which are not selectable for Penini—but then those are precisely the things he would not understand: they drop from him like rain from a bird’s wings. He has been drawing pictures of “Danglars”, [11] & is in great excitement about the various incidents—particularly about the little baby, “that naughty Villefort” was found burying alive.!– At breakfast the other morning, he expressed himself gravely & sententiously to the following effect– “Dear papa & mama,—now I mean to read novels. First I shall read all the books of Dumas. And then I shall read papa’s favorite book, “Madame & &c …” [12] (mentioning a powerful but hideous analysis of a woman’s corruption, which we brought with us from Paris & read & talked of on the way–) Robert & I looked into one another’s eyes with astonishment, & then we could’nt help laughing, at this premature declaration on the part of our offspring– Such a scenting of blood by one’s lion-cub–! But observe, Arabel, .. how I shall have to sweep away into holes & crannies all my disreputable French literature!– It’s awful to think of. In fact it’s rather hard to talk before Peni now, for he will know the beginning & end of everything, & he is more with us here than in Florence where his room is at the other side of the house. When Robert goes out, & Pen & I prepare to go to bed, we generally say our prayers together in this room– As Pen is done first, he goes of his own head to the piano & plays very softly what he calls “prayer-music”, till I have done. I thought the sentiment of this, so good & pretty of him that the first time he did it, I kissed him for it very tenderly. And he can do such improvising so well, & with so much feeling—you would wonder to hear the child. There, that’s enough for Pen. Only I am so delighted about the bust .. that you like it!
Send me minuter accounts of Henrietta’s darlings. How is the music, for instance?– Sophia Cottrell has a little girl [13] .. after a confinement to the house of thirteen months. There’s an extraordinary miscalculation. Everybody, including myself, believed it to be an illusion. I am so glad for her sake, poor thing.
Tell dearest Henrietta I shall write to her very soon. I am in a high state of excitement about politics & the French attitude in regard to Italy– [14] Is it not for this I have waited, hanging (in my soul) on the skirts of Louis Napoleon, & believing that it would come?– Some of my friends will admit that I have an insight into politics–
As to Montalembert, little do you who read the “Times,” know what Montalembert is– You would give him small sympathy if you did– The Times has been working underground for some time to enlist public feeling in England against France, in order to be able to help Austria now. Its a deep plot. As to Dr Randolph [15] .. he’s a weak man—that’s all, I hope. For the rest if good spirits can speak, bad ones can and vice versâ– God bless you all my dearest ones– Beloved Arabel write to
your own Ba.
Robert’s love ever & Pen’s.
Address: Angleterre / Miss Moulton Barrett / Bryngwyn / Oswestry / Salop.
Publication: EBB-AB, II, 388–393.
Manuscript: Gordon E. Moulton-Barrett.
1. These remarks concern Annunziata and the charges made against her by Wilson’s sister; see letter 4308.
4. This photograph, taken at Le Havre, is inscribed: “Elizabeth Barrett Browning for RB only—with all her love & very little likeness. Sept. 17. 1858.” It sold as part of lot 144 in Browning Collections and is now at ABL (see Reconstruction, F30). One of the photographs sent to Charles John (“Storm”) and George may have been described in letter 4241.
6. This portrait in colored chalk was completed on 2 March 1859 and is now at ABL. It is reproduced facing p. 112.
7. i.e., the Brownings’ return to Florence from France the previous October.
9. Field Talfourd’s portrait of EBB in colored chalk, completed in late February 1859, proved to be a great success. It was photographed by James Anderson (see letter 4346, note 12), and EBB sent inscribed copies to her brothers and sisters and a few close friends (see Reconstruction, F34–F38.1). The drawing was exhibited in the National Portrait Exhibition at the South Kensington Museum in the summer of 1868. Ellen Heaton presented the work to the National Portrait Gallery in April 1871. It is reproduced as the frontispiece to this volume.
10. John Bonner (1828–99), A Child’s History of Rome (New York, 1856), first mentioned in letter 4290.
11. In Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, one of the three villains, along with Villefort and Fernand, who enrich themselves by imprisoning Dantès in the Château d’If.
12. Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary (1857). See letter 4299, note 16.
13. Violet Amy Cottrell (1859–1936), second daughter and sixth child of Henry and Sophia Cottrell, was born on 11 January.
14. EBB may have in mind two seemingly minor and unconnected statements made earlier in the month. It had become publicly known that on 1 January Napoleon III had remarked to the Austrian ambassador: “‘I regret … that our relations with your government are not as good as they were in the past; but I pray you to tell the emperor that my personal feelings for him have not changed.’ A few days later, in opening parliament at Turin on 10 January, Victor Emmanuel declared: ‘While we respect treaties we cannot be insensible to the cry of anguish … that comes to us from many parts of Italy’” (Edgar Holt, Risorgimento: The Making of Italy, 1815–1870, 1970, pp. 206–207). Additionally, EBB may have been encouraged by the rumors of the marriage of Prince Napoleon and Princess Marie Clotilde of Savoy (see letter 4325, note 5).
15. Paschal Beverly Randolph (1825–75), an American physician who had been a practicing medium, recently delivered a lecture in New York renouncing his involvement with spiritualism. An excerpt from his address, printed in The Standard of 29 December 1858, contained the following: “I was a medium about eight years, during which time I made 3000 speeches, and travelled over several different countries, proclaiming the new Gospel. I now regret that so much excellent breath was wasted, and that my health of mind and body was well nigh ruined. I have only begun to regain both since I totally abandoned it, and to-day had rather see the cholera in my house than be a spiritual medium! … For seven years I held daily intercourse with what purported to be my mother’s spirit. I am now firmly persuaded that it was nothing but an evil spirit and infernal demon. … Experience has taught me that 85 per cent of the medical clairvoyants are arrant knaves, humbugs, and catchpenny impostors, who are no more clairvoyant than a brick wall” (p. 4).
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