[Manchester—Sunday, 4 August 1867]
August 4th I have been struck by Mrs Hawthorne’s saying that the poorest peasant in Italy understands manners—indeed, indeed something of this is true and strikes us painfully as contrasted with the lack of the same in our own country. Poor Lissie last winter was continually annoyed by children, boys & others bursting into her studio without knock or warning—a thing which never occurred in Italy. The bars there were against vice also!, not against ill manners—of course if we must choose give us the latter—but I fear we have both here.
