SD1769. Mary Russell Mitford to William Cox Bennett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 20, 375 (in part).
[Swallowfield]
9 August [1854]
August 9th in the evening. I must have seemed most ungrateful in never noticing the P.S. of your … Mrs. Browning’s address is
Alla Signora Browning
Poste Restante
Firenze
Toscana
Italia
You may add in one line at top
Florence—Tuscany—Italy
P.S. I earnestly hope my dear friend that you have no intention to mention money matters in any way to Mrs Browning—much less to offer them any loan– They would never forgive you or me—being amongst the touchiest people possible & standing the most (he particularly who has no sort of claim to it) upon position– Indeed she herself thinks more of Lords & Ladies than you can imagine—& I have observed that they who run so much after the more fashionable names in literature, commonly run after those other names of the court calendar—a sad weakness—Mrs Archer Clive does it—& Mrs Acton Tindal—& others whom we both know & who ought to know better– However they would never pardon you nor me for telling you although of course in writing to so dear a friend as you it was in confidence & there was no hint of secrecy in her letter. Moreover the time is past– It is too late to come to England this year or even to go to Lucca. I put you upon honour as to this—though I rather hope that you want her leave to insert portions of her poems in a book of Extracts of which Mr Bennoch once spoke to me. Why did not you talk about it when here? It is by extracts that Mrs Browning will live—her husband will never in my opinion survive the present school– The obscurity and incompleteness that disfigure her poems are hidden in that mode of publication, & the magnificent genius which shines out in other parts appears in full lustre. …
Publication: None traced.
Address: W. C. Bennett Esqre / 65 Cheapside / London.
Manuscript: Berkshire Record Office.
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