SD636. Caroline Price to Mary Moulton-Barrett
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 2, 354 (in part).
Foxley
Saturday night [December 1827] [1]
My dr Mrs Barrett,
Scanty as my writing materials are (I do not mean Pen, Ink, & Paper) at this moment, it wd be next to impossible for me to refrain any longer from using them such as they are, in a Cover to dear Hope End. Primo yr Letter, as yr Letters always do, deserves many a pretty sentence in reply, & Secondo, my Godson’s capital Dispatch is so deserving of praise that it wd be right strange were I to defer it, without indeed a Bulletin signed by at least three M Ds. of my incapacity in the score of severe Indisposition. It is sincerely to be hoped that all these excuses for writing, will have been uncalled for, & that you will not consider a little Vol. from me as a positive grievance. We have been very quiet lately, & neither the atmosphere or the amusements here cd allow anyone to suppose it was Xmas. It seems some very excellent Music at Garnstone has been very agreeable to us, (at least to 2 of us)[.] The Instrumental part of the Concerts was as near perfect as possible, & the Vocal part very pleasing. Lady Duff Gordon is amazingly improved, as a vocalist, & to go back to the Instrumental Sir G’s Violincello kept up his reputation. The Music too is always of the very best sort, no trash is admitted. If there were not perhaps some little degree of reluctance on my part to display my poor little Phiz to them too often, probably I shd do so again that those Parts of it commonly called Easy might again be regaled. As it is presently I may draw, or read, or something, or nothing follow here instead. While the Author, & Dilletante, is checked off to applaud the harvest & the wasted apples. You probably were not tempted to travel from Hope End to our City for the gaieties of the “Evergreen Ball” but it was sure to be filled to the content of the Steward & Manager Sir J G. Cotterell. People are so glad to hear fiddles & to be set a dancing after sitting Dressing, that the winter gaiety seldom fails to attract numbers. Sir J. does not like Quadrilles it seems, but retains his predilection for “the Hop”. They have only I fancy the Family party at Garnstone now, at least it was so yesterday, but this includes almost all [illegible word] & sizes– a party of 5 marched here this Evg nearly as the day had passed away, but thats done at a fashionable hour, & shd not much fear being benighted. Lady Duff Gordon, & Mr Lenor’s & Ldy G’s 2 little girls, both very agreeable in quite a different way. Our author begins to be somewhat anxious for a little reply from dear Ba (I expect to beg her pardon for the dash). This all I have to say. Thanks God there are strong hopes of a speedy end as to the cry of War.
With very kind regard
yrs ever afftly, & truly
CP.
I will write to Alfred very speedily.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Scripps College.
1. Dated by reference to “Cry of War” (i.e. Turkish war) and reference to the “Author.”
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