The Argosy — page 130: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Robert Brownn:. II3 1 do not remember the time, from the old Aefosztory days onward, when a new poem by Browning was not an event and an excitement to him. One day, Mr. John Forster sent word that he would bring the proof-sheets of the ‘‘Christmas Eve” to read to us; and how we revelled in the humour of the opening passages; and how Mr. Forster’s melodious voice did justice to the grand vision, as the poem proceeds ! In 1858--9 I paid a visit to Rome, where Mr. and Mrs. Browning were also spending the winter, on account of her health, and I saw a good deal of them; more especially, I had the great felicity of passing many quiet hours in the company of Mrs. Browning, for she kindly sat to me for her portrait in chalks ; Mr. Browning the while, was giving his little son a first-rate music lesson in the adjoining room. ‘The portrait, I may be excused for mentioning, was exhi- bited at the Royal Academy the same year, and was considered suc- cessful by most of those who knew her. She seemed to me to be an angel on earth, so modest, so unselfish. At that time her poems were extremely popular, whilst Mr. Browning’s were beginning only to take hold of the public. I remember his bringing in during my sittings, an American paper in which the work of the two poets were compared to the disadvantage of the husband. Mr. Browning seemed piqued, I thought, as was but natural; for the criticism showed both bad taste and want of judgment. But nothing of that sort could cast a shadow of a shade upon the perfect harmony that existed between that ideal pair. ‘Their’s was the “‘ better love ” that could “defy the scoffer.” Mr. Browning lived chiefly abroad, and took no great interest in the details of English politics, saving all political enthusiasm, either for the land of his adoption or for the affairs of past times. But the early regard between him and my father was not dead, only slumbering. I find in my packet a long letter from Mrs. Browning to my father (under date June, 1859) about Italian matters, enclosing a cutting from an Italian newspaper, a translation into Italian of a public speech of my father’s to a meeting at Oldham, which had given great satisfaction to Italian patriots. Mrs. Browning writes to thank him “ for her husband, for herself, and for Italy,” for this speech on the Italian Question. She says: “One generous voice raised, and that such a thrilling voice as yours, is indeed a thing to thank God for, after all the disappointments, _ and, let me add, the humiliation we suffer here as to the words and acts of England.” I open also a sort of double letter, written partly by Mr. and partly by Mrs. Browning ; a delightful letter from Casa Guidi, date _ January, 1857, on learning from Mr. Fox of his re-election as member for Oldham. Mr. Browning writes: “I wish from my heart we —/S _—— could get closer together again, as in those old days, and what times we would have here together in Italy”; and after a page of - most delightful joking he adds: “I say this foolishly, just because CORINELOO© SS) im