SD2444. Sophia Landor to Robert Eyres Landor
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 29, 285 (in part).
Tachbrooke.
May 7th [1861]
My dear Uncle
We were very glad to receive the favorable account of yourself you were able to send ten days ago & sincerely hope the return of snow & cold winds we have had since, have not brought back your gout & rheumatism. I am afraid you can not make much progress during this very trying weather, it will be well if you do not retrograde. Uncle Henry cannot get rid of his cough, which is rather wearing to him & makes him feel a little unwell. Vegetation makes very slow progress in this neighbourhood & we see very little sign of blossom on either apple or Hawthorne trees; I feel there will be a great scarcity of fruit this year. I have had a little correspondence lately with Mr Browning about Uncle Walter: the first letter came while you were very ill & as it was an annoying one, Uncle Henry & I thought it better not to trouble you with it. Uncle Walter had been seiged with a sudden desire to shake off Mr Browning’s supervision: he insisted on knowing exactly what he had to live upon; had desired his son Charles to look for a single room for hire, in a second rate Inn & intended to ask his Brother Henry to send him 30£ a quarter for the remainder of his life; & as it was quite certain he cd not live more than 2 quarters his Son Arnold cd not possibly refuse to repay so trifling a debt. Mr Browning very properly refused to give the information he desired & told him that if he or his Son took any lodgings, they must do it on their own responsibility; & he then wrote to tell me what was going on. Uncle Henry kindly took the trouble of writing with his own hand, to Mr Browning, expressing the gratitude you both feel for all he has done & stating that if Uncle Walter chose to withdraw himself from the protection of so kind a friend, he must thence forth rely upon his wife & family that he (Uncle H) wd certainly not lend anything to his Brother or hold any communication with him. The letter was written so that Mr Browning might show it to Uncle Walter, if he continued to be troublesome; but I felt sure he wd not proceed to any such extremities if Mr Browning were firm & so it proved: before our answers reached Italy he had thought better of the matter & a letter received yesterday tells me that all is now going on smoothly. I have kept copies of the correspondence, which I will send to you, if you please; I have only kept them back, because I know how greatly everything of this kind annoys you. Mean time (we hope) Robert Landor has by this time affected an arrangement with Mrs Yescombe, whereby she is to receive immediately 400£ out of the annuity of £300 which has been accruing since Uncle Walter went abroad, & hence forth to recieve the annuity quarterly until her claim is satisfied. The remainder of the money in hand (£425) will go towards paying the expenses incurred by the Trustees & the bill of Messrs Taylor & Williams, Uncle Walter’s Lawyers. We do not yet know the amount of Mrs Yescombe’s claim, but Robert estimates it at about £1000, & as it will bear interest till discharged, it will hardly be paid off if Uncle Walter lives 6 years, instead of 2 quarters. He seems to be in wonderfully good health & likely enough to live to pay all. It would appear that he is reconciled to some of the members of his own family, for we have heard of the two younger Sons being occasionally with him. I believe my Brother returned home last Saturday, I hope in renovated health & strength: Weston super Mare seems to have agreed very well with him. Kitty is now at Church Eaton & proposes to return to this place on Tuesday next, by which time we hope our house will be almost ready for her reception. On Thursday last the Church at Emscote was Consecrated, it had been only decended before, for want of Endowment: they have now obtained funds enough to produce something over £50 a year & hope to get farther aid from Ecclesiastical sources now it is Consecrated. Uncle Henry was so kind as to let me go & I was much pleased to see a very large attendance & a very good collection. We shall not forget to drink your health on Friday & sincerely hope the day will find you free from pain or illness. Uncle Henry joins me in love, believer me ever
Yr affecate Niece
Sophia Landor.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Staffordshire Record Office.
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