587.5. John Kenyon to EBB

Addendum to The Brownings’ Correspondence, vol. 3.

4. Harley Place

September 2nd 1837.

My dear Miss Barrett

Before you open the parcel this note will explain it. In sending the parcel at all, before I have received your permission to do so, I am presuming on your not refusing my request.

On the loss of my blessed wife I made it a point to distribute all she possessed in the way of jewellery & other ornaments among her friends– A little lace however remains. Had she known you and your family—You all would have been among her friends—as she most assuredly would have been among those whom you would not have loved the least. It is in this persuasion that I wish you and your sisters to accept of the three little veils which the paper contains–

Such as they may be—you will kindly accept them—as a mark of good will– In themselves I know that they are trifles– Should there be any reason for preferring one to another—seniority of age has—you know—the unwelcome privilege of choice.

Should this sort of veil be out of fashion at present you will all live long enough to see them come back again– At all events it will gratify me to think that they are in the possession of those whom—I know—she would have liked and esteemed–

I saw Mr Bogue yesterday– He shewed me the finished prints—all but the Print—my print—the Sicily– The lamps were there, floating away on water– I said “You will have a good (or some fair word) poem on that picture[”]–

He said “According to Miss Mitford the best poem that has ever been in an Annual”

Now if Sicily had ever been in an Annual—I should never have spoken to you or Miss Mitford again– God bless you.

J. Kenyon

Pray make my request acceptable to your Sisters.

Address: To / Miss Barrett. / 74. Gloucester Place.

Publication: None traced.

Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library.

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