7. Elizabeth Moulton to EBB
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 1, 7–8 (in part).
[?London]
[ca. May 1811] [1]
How truly happy I feel in taking up my pen to thank my dear little Girl for her nice Letter, to say, that I think her very much improved in her writing—which makes GdMama most happy indeed—sombody whisperd to her, how good her dear Ba continued to be, which was the reason of her sending the Tippet——
D[ea]r Sam is a great deal better he wd not stay with us till he was quite strong, but ran away this morng; Mr Bent is gone with him as far as Eaton, where he means to sleep– Sam [2] comes in a week, & says if he possibly can, he will go to Cheltenham to see his dear little pets, all of whom He loves very dearly——
I am sorry to hear papa, & Harry, [3] are so naughty,—you must give them your opinion about drinking the waters, the good it will do them, tell Papa, it will take away his Headache altogether—Harry, that it will prevent her taking Physic from Mr Bridges; all this I hope will in time, induce them to comply with your wishes; we are pleasd to hear Mama’s Stockings fit her, give our best Love, & thank her for the few lines she sent in your Letter, & trust when we hear again that she has had no return of Headache——
when you walk out, you must call at the Shoe Makers & scold him for not sending our Boot, & Shoe, & give our Love to Mrs Appleton & Mrs Waite, [4] & hope they are better——
Kisses to Mama, Charlotte, Bro, Harry, & Mary [5] from both of us.
GrdMamas best Affections Attend her Dearest Girl Ever
EM—
Handsome Sam [6] has just paid us a visit the first time of his going out— He is much improved in good looks, & talks of going to the North in a few days—— Love to dear Papa
Docket, on scrap of paper, in Elizabeth Moulton’s hand: for My Beloved Ba.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Pierpont Morgan Library.
1. Dated by a reference in a letter from Elizabeth Barrett Williams to her youngest son, George Goodin Barrett, 1 April 1811 (SD146): “Your Aunt M[oulton] & Trip remains at Cheltenham with Edwards Family, but I hope to see them in Town soon.” Elizabeth Moulton’s letter seems to have been written immediately after the return to London.
2. The Sam mentioned twice in this paragraph is Samuel Moulton-Barrett, EBB’s uncle.
3. One of Henrietta’s early nicknames.
4. Mrs. Appleton and Mrs. Waite cannot be identified with any certainty. Probably they were friends with Jamaican backgrounds, as there was a firm named Watson & Appleton in Montego Bay, and the family of Waite had connections by marriage with the Barrett family.
5. EBB’s sister, Mary Barrett Moulton-Barrett, who died in infancy.
6. Samuel Barrett, eldest son of Elizabeth Barrett Williams. In the letter referred to in note 1, she writes that Sam “has been very ill but is now on the recovery, he is confined to the House and will be so for sometime longer.”
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