SD360. Charlotte Graham-Clarke to Henrietta Moulton-Barrett
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 1, 324 (in part).
Fenham
Sunday 31 Dec 1820
To tell you how much I was gratified and delighted with your dear letter, my sweetest Henrietta, would be almost as impossible as to express the degree in which I love you—therefore after assuring you we were all greatly pleased with the writing and composition I shall only add that the sooner you feel inclined to send me a long history of your Xmas merriment the happier I shall be. I have had a long letter in my desk at least three weeks written, to send you by James who, poor fellow, hourly bewails his bitter fate, and makes terribly Wry faces at the pitiless twinges of the giant gout which binds him hand & foot to his arm chair, instead of allowing him to exhibit his celebrated & justly admired capers to the happy & merry audience at dear Hope End– Sad, indeed is the mortification, but I hope he will soon be better and able to set out on his joyous visit—quite sure he never can be too late for your season of merriment and fun, which is well known to last throughout the year; and long very long may it continue to do so! Wishing to pop some little remembrance into the box for you, my darling Harry I have in vain rans<sacked …> and the toy shops for s<omething> I thought might please <and …> not a thing of that descrip<tion could> I find, therefore, perhaps a good <…> morning frock that will keep you warm, and resist all the tugs of “blind Man’s bluff,” “Tommy Tinkler” or any other pretty gambol in which my pet pickle may chuse to engage, may prove as comfortable and useful as anything I can send, humble, as I am aware <the> offering must appear, compared to Grandmama’s pretty frocks which I doubt not will please you all– I am delighted to hear of the <…>tal as well as personal <…> in your young family <… h>ave the satisfaction of their <…> more under Mrs Barker’s <…> how they will feast on the <pre>cious Xmas treat of roast beef and plum pudding this year!– Our school goes on as well as we can wish– We now have twenty six very nice little girls who I must say make great improvement in every thing– Bum Jane and I attend regularly and your friend Bowmaker is an excellent school mistress– She makes them very neat and industrious. They work beautifully and you would be astonished at the quantity they do, they are now making a set of Shirts for James—who in return kindly personated Nimble Columbine—pray tell me if you had any more disagreeable starving beggars on Xmas day– I can fancy how happy you all are now that dearest Bro is with you, tell him with our kindest & most affectionate love, we expect he will come and visit us as soon as we arrive in London in April—he will be a delightful person to go about with us to shop and see sights—indeed dearest Harry I hope we shall be there all together—as I hope your Papa means to take you all— tell him there are a great many new quadrille steps to learn– You must wish a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year with most affectionate love & a kiss from each of us, to you[r] dear Papa, Mama, Ba, Bro, Sam, Arabella & the rest of the darling Nursery tribe too numerous to mention—but do not forget yourself my sweetest Harry; always believing me
your sincerely affectionate Aunt
Charlotte Graham-Clarke
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library, Altham Archive.
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