452. EBB to Ann Lowry Boyd & Hugh Stuart Boyd
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 3, 21–24.
Hope End.
May 26th 1832.
My dearest friend,
I was a little uncomfortable at not hearing from you sooner, but I did not attribute your silence to unkindness. I believed that you would write to me as soon as you could, and I am glad to find that I believed right. I am rather glad too that you are at Bath instead of Frome, & still in temporary lodgings. It may make no difference to me at the last,—but at the first, either by fancy or folly, it does a little. I was very sure, and so, from what Henrietta told me, was Papa, that a dull dirty manufactoring [sic] town like Frome, would not suit you, or please Mrs Boyd & Annie even in contra-distinction to poor Malvern, & even for a time. Therefore it may be well for you that you could not get a house,—& for me it is well, because Bath is a few miles nearer to this place than Frome is. I hope you will not let Mrs Boyd make herself unnecessarily uneasy about Annie. That she has been unnecessarily so, is not my opinion only, but the opinion of everybody who has had opportunities of seeing & being with Annie; and I never could apprehend that a person with such breadth of chest & with so little tendency to becoming thin, was of a consumptive habit, & on that account a fit object for the slightest uneasiness. The expression of Dr Garlike might be applied to any case,—and his opinion, given in Arabel’s hearing, & after the severest attack which Annie has yet had, that “Malvern was as good a place for her as any other place” sufficiently proved how little apprehension he had of consumption. Annie was looking fat & well when she left Malvern,—& unless she has grown very thin in a very short time, no one can appear farther from a complaint which in this neighbourhood is called not improperly “a wasting away”. Mr Joseph Clarke [1] has not seen her. It seems to me & has seemed to me from the first, that the principal cause of her different indispositions, was fullness of habit, instead of its contrary,—& indeed Mrs Boyd herself has observed to me how much better she became after taking a great deal of exercise. I have been very sorry to hear of her having been so unwell, & earnestly hope that the “quite well” may be permanent. If it is not, why does not Mrs Boyd make her come to Bath, & take some good medical opinion upon her case? That would be the wiser plan, instead of fearing oneself into unhappiness.
I am glad that travelling did not annoy you as you feared it would. Who are the ladies whom you knew 13 or 14 years ago, & have now met at Bath? The moral which you have drawn from that circumstance, scarcely makes me feel more comfortable,—for it amounts barely to this—that if I live 13 or 14 years longer I may see you again—or in other words, that I may live 13 or 14 years without seeing you. And with such a prospect in your mind, you can be “sorry” at my having considered it necessary to ask you not to forget me? Why I thought that no one could know less of the world than I do,—and yet I [2] should not be surprised at any person’s making such a request to any person—even if the possible term of separation were 14 months instead of 14 years. People whom I was acquainted with before I was acquainted with you, & who professed more regard for me than you did, have forgotten me, I assure you, in less time than fourteen months. That act of oblivion made me smile,—but I should not smile, if you, with or without a reason, could do the same thing. And I am afraid that, for much more than half the world, it is a very easy thing to do– Therefore you should suffer me to ask you not to forget me!
Papa is always talking about what may be the result of the third reading, among the Lords. He says that if they are scoundrels, they may throw out the bill,—& that he has certainly a very bad opinion of them. In my mind, they may be base enough to do it,—but not daring enough to do it. It is clear, it must be clear even to them, that the people will have the bill, & that the King is pledged to the bill,—& that if the Lords brand themselves as traitors with one hand, the bill must nevertheless be wrenched unmutilated from the other. Papa says—“Let them throw it out—Lord Grey will prorogue Parliament for two days, create a hundred peers, introduce the bill into the House of Lords first, & then send it down to be approved by the Commons”. You see, it is quite certain that no Tory administration can stand. My only regret is, that Lord Grey cannot immediately create peers, & by such means, infuse a nobler life into that kakistocratical [3] body. He cannot do so—because he is artfully baited with large majorities. Did you ever read more disgusting language than occurs in the speeches of the anti-reform Lords?—Lord Kenyon’s, for instance? [4] And is not Lord Grey’s position morally sublime? The King’s treatment of the Duke of Sussex has thrown upon his name a darker shadow, than his simple refusal to create peers ever did. [5] Papa generally reads the newspaper to us in the evening,—so that I hear a good deal of all that is going on. Do you still take in the Evening Mail? Altho’ you are in a temporary lodging, I think you might tell me where it is, & whether you wish it to be otherwise than temporary. I have heard nothing more of our leaving Hope End—at least nothing definite,—but my aunt thinks that we cannot drag on our lives in this manner much longer. Another family came to see the house last Tuesday. Perhaps I am more impatient than I ought to be for it all to be over, & for us to be gone to some place where we may live more tranquilly than we can do here,—but indeed I cannot help it. You will think I dare say, that I am apt to be out of spirits & to look at the gloomy side of everything—and yet it is not so—it is not so by my nature. Not many years ago I was always laughing & joking! I well recollect that when we were in France, & when a wood fire was smoking in a disagreeable manner, a gentleman observed—“I am very glad about this smoke. Now I can say that I have seen the tears in Mademoiselle Barrett’s eyes.” How many they have shed since that day!——
You will not forget to tell me, whom you have found to read Greek to you,—and whether you are likely to know in Bath, persons in whose society you will have pleasure. Tell me too, if you can walk out, without being annoyed by carriages & crowds & hills—& if you are quite well in every respect. Had you been at Malvern the day before yesterday, I should have spent it with you,—for my aunt went to her friends the Miss Uniacks, & did not return until nearly ten oclock. Of course I did not go with her!—& I sighed to think why I did not. May you never have cause to sigh until we meet again, whether we meet,—at the end of fourteen years! upon earth, or in that happier place where years are not numbered, & farewells are not said!——
Ever yours very affectionately
E B Barrett.
You mention Miss Sibree, & I believe she resides somewhere near Bath. If you should see her, do not neglect to give her my kind remembrances– [6] Do write when you can!–
The petition from Ledbury for reform, which has been just sent to London, had above 700 signatures. The last petition which was sent, had only above 200. The meeting was very numerous; & I have heard from different quarters that Bro’s was the best speech. I am aware that I have written you a dull letter,—but you should not reproach me for it. Dull humours will make dull letters. I have read no Greek since I saw you last. When will you bring out your work? Good bye once more!—— If I write too long letters,—be candid & tell me so! I promise not to be angry.
I believe I have said to Mr Boyd the principal part my dear Mrs Boyd of what I intended to say to you about Annie. Do not make yourself so much more uncomfortable than you need be about her. I feel quite certain that your fears are built upon no reasonable foundation, & that she is as likely to live & be strong as any person of your acquaintance. Dr Garlicke is at Malvern. Arabel wrote to Coleford [7] a few days ago, & I wrote a postscript—but we have not heard yet.
Yr aff
EBB.
Address, on integral page: H S Boyd Esqr / Post Office / Bath.
Publication: EBB-HSB, pp. 172–175.
Manuscript: Wellesley College.
1. Thought to be Joseph Butterworth Bulmer Clarke, the son of Boyd’s friend, Dr. Adam Clarke.
2. Underscored twice.
3. Kakistocracy: government by the worst citizens (OED).
4. George Kenyon, 2nd Baron Kenyon (1776–1869), was an opponent of the reform bill. Speaking in the House of Lords on 22 May, he had said of the Prime Minister, Earl Grey, “I consider the conduct of the noble earl unmanly and atrocious” in connection with Grey’s threat to ask the King to create new peers to force the passage of the bill.
5. William IV’s brother, Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (1773–1843), 6th son of George III, was sympathetic to the proposals for parliamentary reform. After he had twice presented to the King a petition for reform from the City of Bristol, he was barred from attendance at Court.
6. EBB had met Miss Sibree in 1828 when she visited Boyd.
7. Presumably to Henrietta Mushet, whose family lived at Coleford.
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