4625. EBB to Henrietta Cook
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 27, 227–230.
28 Via Tritone
[18] March [1860] [1]
Ever dearest Henrietta, ever dearest .. I have your letter. I have held you in my thoughts long before I have had the paper here to write to you– I love you & think of you on all months & all days, & put you into my prayers .. you & yours–
I wish you would tell me always about Altham & never abbreviate through thinking of me at least. The interest to me is of the deepest, in respect to all your children—& of course in respect to Altham who stands in stricter analogy to my own boy, I am especially interested– I do hope the darling may have got over his attack, & have returned prosperously to his accumulating of victorious marks. You were quite wrong in supposing that we criticised you about the school, [2] or thought you otherwise than right anywhere– We have an idea of our own about schools (for which we are greatly blamed by very sensible people, observe) but even according to our ideas, what’s good for one child in one situation, is not therefore good for another child in another situation. Penini is as he said himself one day, “quite a desolate child”—he is alone: we are necessarily moving about: we are able to give him certain advantages which would be expensive if we were not abroad– Then he is not fit for a school—he would be broken to pieces in it– Also, we have only one, & could’nt lose his presence so. What I said of your school referred simply to what you said of it yourself. But I dare say that with whatever drawbacks, the advantages are just what you tell me in this letter– In fact, Peni, too, wants more independence & selfreliance than he has attained to by our process—only we trust in the future for that. As it is, he does’nt work for his Abbé with his heart in it, unless I sit by him—& I was a good deal amazed the other evening by his drawing up his feet on the sofa .. Latin grammar on knees, .. with this exclamation .. “Now, mama, let us do our verbs!” I have had to explain very seriously that with every good intention on my part, I cant possibly learn his lessons for him. What I can do however, is to look in the dictionary for him & set it open before his eyes– Otherwise he never could get through Monsieur l’abbé’s pieces of work– He said himself the other day .. “Povero bambino davvero è troppo,” [3] —& provided a holiday for his birthday– Think of this for one lesson .. Forty Italian nouns to turn into Latin in different cases– A page of Latin ‘sacred history’ to translate into Italian– A Latin verb to write out– Three lines of Latin to parse– Besides sums. In no school would he be expected to do a fourth of it– Add that he plays his full two hours on the piano everyday– Some days he combines French dictés with the Latin, & some days geography—on others only arithmetic– Then whenever there’s a half hour free I sieze on it to make him read German– Of course he gets on at full gallop—& made Robert & me laugh last night by saying that his abbé was going to “put him into Virgil” very soon—which will be rather gobbling down the Latin language than learning it– Monsieùr l’Abbé teaches very well however,—everything almost is done by writing.
Dearest Henrietta, how I should like to see the children together. But I cant say how it will be– There is time for the decision of these things. My health has been more frail (though I am quite well now, understand.) than usual since last summer, & it would be inexcuseable to run risks by late staying in England– I am not fit for it– Then we stay in Rome till the first days of June. Also, you talk much at your ease of our travelling from south to north & back again, as if it were no strain whatever on our finances– Four persons travelling, (for I cant travel without a maid) a house to be paid at Florence, while we pay again in Paris & London .. & Ferdinando to be kept on with wages & board wages while we are absent!! And after all, we are not rich, you know. Penini’s education too begins to be an additional charge– And you talk of our bringing his poney to England, as if we really could! You consider, (dont you) that Robert & I have a golden leg a-piece, like Miss Kilmansegg– [4] While there is Arabel, quite independent, who talks of expenses .. she cant afford this & that. And I dare say she cant. But then we can say so with stronger reasons.
Not that I say anything– This subject must be left open. Of course I am aware that Robert especially has duties to his father at the latter’s time of life–
Then there are Italian affairs. We shall probably have more fighting after the voting. [5]
Have I “changed my mind about the emperor”– Why? I am sorry that the premature mooting of the Savoy question should have given occasion to the enemy to blaspheme .. that’s all– The question of Savoy is little understood among you– Savoy is essentially French & sympathetic with France, was separated from France by the same treaties which crushed Italy & for many years Piedmont has not been able to extinguish the desire of the people to be annexed to France– Now what is intended is simply to give that population the choice of nationalities by putting their choice to the same kind of popular vote which is claimed & exercised in Italy. The Italians have no sort of objection to this being done .. it is pure justice. Piedmont does not cede, or exchange—but adopts & applies a principle.—— For the rest, the papal party says & swears here that Napoleon & Cavour “s’entendent comme deux larrons”, [6] & Odo Russell seems to be of much the same mind—as to the understanding, that is. “E una trama infernale” [7] said the poor pope in wrath to the French ambassador [8] yesterday.
The emperor is in most difficult circumstances, both in France & with regard to Europe—but he never vacillates, though the necessities of diplomatic language make him appear to do so sometimes– “That astute head,” say his enemies. “That great Heart” said Cavour the other day. That great head & heart, say I– Still I may change my mind. I dont pretend to be infallible. I may be deceived here as elsewhere.— And when I know it then I will be candid & tell you–
When you get my poems, you are all to consider this, by way of giving them some small interest– Penini has read them all with the utmost approbation & something more. ‘The Tale of Villafranca’ I never could be clear that he understood. In fact Pen could’nt be persuaded that things went ill at Villafranca for any reason. When the Ode to Napoleon was read to him, at the part about Italy his eyes overflowed, & he threw himself face downward on the sofa– The heroine of “The Dance” is the Marchioness Laiatico, the wife of that noble Laiatico who died this summer in England. Her son & daughter, the Duke & Duchess of Cassigliano, quite young people, are great favorites of ours. Everything in the little book is strictly historical—even to Macmahon’s taking up the Milanese child as he entered the city, [9] .. & to the emotion, on the emperor’s face– The ‘Court Lady’ is founded on the general fact that the ladies of Milan went in full dress through the streets to the hospitals.
Hume is in London. I had a letter from Miss Bayley the other day telling me how she had heard from Mr Booth [10] of his “successful juggling” .. & how at either Lord Lyndhurst’s [11] or the Lord Chancellor’s [12] house, the chief notabilities of England had met in order to expose him, but had failed.
—Then the copy of a letter from Mrs Milner Gibson has told me that she & the Humes met at her house or theirs every monday, .. eight or ten friends, .. & that the phenomena were wonderful– Tables floated in the air—hands seen & touched .. & other things passing ordinary experience. I shall manage to hear what chiefly—Hume (or Home as he calls himself) has come to London from Russia with his wife & child, [13] on his way to America—but London proves so charming that he has “taken a house,” it appears. His baby is said to be a more wonderful medium than himself.
How did you come to fancy that the photograph I sent you of Robert, [14] was from a picture? I beg to state that it was from his own face & body. We are, however about to have photographs taken from Pen’s portrait, on horseback [15] —& I hope it will answer.
Mary must be what she always was, a sweet little dot of a thing. I wish I could kiss her, and your Altham, & Edward– We gave Pen for his birthday, a very pretty microscope, in which he has been studying fleas ever since,—and an English knife containing twelve instruments, what with blades, corkscrews &c. It cost eleven shillings English—& some anxiety on my side lest he should cut off his hands. But he has longed so for it, poor child. On his birthday morning
<…> [16]
Very soon, I shall write to Arabel– What I mean about the house is that the situation in London is not good for her [17] —& whenever I am anxious about her, I begin to swear in my heart at the house.
Publication: TTUL, pp. 84–90 (as 28 March [?1857]).
Manuscript: British Library.
1. Day and year provided by EBB’s mention of Pen’s comment of “last night” concerning Virgil, which she also mentioned in letter 4624.
3. “Poor child, it’s really too much.”
5. EBB refers to the plebiscites recently held in Tuscany and Emilia (see letter 4622, note 3).
6. “Are thick as thieves.”
7. “It’s a hellish plot.”
8. Duc de Gramont (1819–80).
10. James Booth (1796–1880), one of the executors of John Kenyon’s estate (see letter 3931, note 7).
11. John Singleton Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst (1772–1863); see letter 767, note 4.
12. John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell (1799–1861), was Lord Chancellor from 1859 to 1861 in the Palmerston government.
13. Grégory (“Grisha”) Home, born at St. Petersburg on 8 May 1859, the only child of Daniel Dunglas Home and his first wife, Alexandra Ivanovna.
15. The painting by Hamilton Wild. It is reproduced in vol. 26, facing p. 305.
16. The conclusion of this letter, probably written on the flap of the envelope, is missing. The postscript is written in the margins of the first page.
17. Arabella’s house was across the street from a canal (see the beginning of letter 4009).
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