4757. Sophia Landor to RB
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 28, 186–188.
Tachbrooke. Leamington
October 5th /60
My dear Sir
I am requested by my Cousin Mr Walter Landor to inform you of the safe return of the Deed, [1] “most scientifically signed & attested,” & I am also desired to thank you & my Uncle, on behalf of all concerned, for your careful & prompt attention to it. My Cousin has sent to me 14s which he says is as nearly as he can calculate, the money you have paid for the postage of this document. If you have paid more, will you be so good as to let me know; & if you will please to reimburse yourself from my Uncle Walter’s purse, I will accept this 14s in discharge of his debt to Mr Empson, [2] whatever that may be, I suppose about 1£ or 30s but it will be best, if you please to let it be supposed that my Uncle pays all himself. We do not wish it to be expected that we ever have anything to do with these little debts. I wrote to Mr Empson the day I received your letter, requesting him, by your desire, to let me know what is owing to him & I hoped to have had his reply before now, but I have not heard from him. I will not however, longer delay announcing the safe return of the parcel, & thanking you for your letter to me. [3] I do indeed hope that both you & Mrs Browning derive pleasure as well as the trouble & ofttimes vexation, which I know you have from your most kind charge of my Uncle. I well know that no one can be more agreeable & fascinating than he is, while his partiallity [sic] remains, & I earnestly wish it may undergo no change towards you. As sincerely do I wish you success in your efforts in behalf of kind Mr Forster, & that his amiable note may produce the best effect; but I cannot help fearing that these efforts to move him will only end in confirming him. It is not as if he had any real cause of offence, or as if his affections had been wounded & disappointed & wld rejoice to find that there was a mistake & that the friend long trusted is still worthy of his trust & affection, it is not so, it is simply an unjust anger, unchecked by reason & I greatly fear that attempts to reason with him will only make him more determined not to yield. For my own part, I do not intend to make a single attempt to remove his displeasure against me; [4] I know & he knows that it is perfectly unjust & devoid of cause; we each know the other; if I attempt to pacify him, I shall exasperate him & cause him to say what he knows is not true, & to retain his anger to give an appearance of truth to his ascertions [sic]. Whereas, if I let him alone, I give him the opportunity of forgetting his past false ascertions, if it ever shld become convenient to him to do so; & if not, he will at least not go on adding to them.
Pray do whatever you think best as regards a present to Madame Romagnoli; my Uncle Henry merely wishes that you shld give her such proof that her patient services are appreciated, as may encourage her to continue them. We of the weaker sex require more support & encouragement than you men do: we are generally tolerably patient & enduring, but the knowledge that our efforts are perceived & appreciated, is a great comfort & support to us.
We all rejoice to hear of my Uncle Walter’s wonderfully good health: that is sufficient proof how well he is cared for. I believe you have heard that his Son Walter has been in England. [5] I believe he has now left the country for France. After all that has come to our knowledge during the last two years, we feel it impossible to notice any of the family, as we formerly did. We know full well how much excuse is due to them & we are far from judging them severely; but it was not possible that my Sister & I cld have received that young man as our intimate friend in Bath; in the way he intended to have forced himself upon us; we felt it imperative to request him to withdraw, & I must do him the justice to say he did so immediately. I believe he had got mixed up with a party of Mazzinians, who had created a disturbance in Florence: his companions were all arrested, he does not say how he escaped but I suppose the authorities did not wish to have any trouble with so paltry an Englishman & wisely give [sic] him opportunity to fly, which he did without loss of time.
I am truly sorry to hear that Mrs Browning is still in anxiety about her Sister & that it affects her health; I sincerely hope the anxiety will not be much longer continued. You talk of the delightfully cool summer you have had, we complain of the sadly cold & sunless season, which has prevented any of our fruits from ripening properly, & considerably damaged much of the corn; so late a harvest has scarcely ever been known. [6] Such a season has not been favorable for old or feeble people & my dear Uncle has not been quite so well as he usually is. Of course we feel great interest in the affairs of Italy: I fear you will not find Rome a pleasant residence at present; but I hope Mrs Browning may be able to find some other suitable climate. With kindest regards to her & you, believe me to remain always
Gratefully & sincerely Yrs
Sophia Landor
Address: Robert Browning Esqre / Casa Guidi / Florence / Tuscany.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Yale University.
2. Presumably for photographs of John Gibson’s bust of Landor (see letter 4706).
3. This letter has not surfaced.
4. In the matter of the bust photographs (see letter 4706).
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