He made me tell him 'to make him
happy,' as he said.

For the rest he reads French and German, and we shall have to begin
Latin in another year I suppose. Do you advise that, you, Mr. Ruskin? He
has not given up the drawing neither. Ah! but there is a weight beyond
the post, whatever your goodness may bear, and I must leave a little
space for Robert.

May God bless you, my dear friend! Dare I say it? it _came_.

Affectionately yours always,
ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING.

* * * * *

_Robert Browning to Mr. Ruskin_

I am to say something, dear Ruskin; it shall be only the best of wishes
for this and all other years; go on again like the noble and dear man
you are to us all, and especially to us two out of them all. Whenever I
chance on an extract, a report, it lights up the dull newspaper stuff
wrapt round it and makes me glad at heart and clearer in head. We, for
our part, have just sent off a corrected 'Aurora Leigh,' which is the
better for a deal of pains, we hope, and my wife deserves. There will be
a portrait from a photograph done at Havre without retouching--good, I
think. Truest love to you and yours--your father and mother. Do help us
by a word every now and then.

Affectionately yours,
R.B.

* * * * *

_To Miss I. Blagden_

[Rome]: 43 Bocca di Leone: January 7 [1859].

My dearest Isa,--Your letter seemed long in coming, as this will seem to
you, I fear. I ought to have answered mine at once, and put off doing so
from reason to reason, and from day to day. Very busy I have been,
sending off seven of the nine books of 'Aurora,'[61] having dizzied
myself with the 'ifs' and 'ands,' and done some little good I hope at
much cost....

As to the Roman climate, we have had some beautiful weather, but Robert
was calling his gods to witness (the goddess Tussis among them) that he
never felt it so cold in Florence--never. Fountains frozen, Isa, and the
tramontana tremendous. But it can't last--that's the comfort at Rome;
and meantime we are housed exquisitely in our lion's mouth; the new
_portiere_ and universal carpeting keeping it snugger than ever, and the
sun over-streaming us through six windows. I have just been saying that
whenever I come to Rome I shall choose to come here. The only fault is,
the height and the smallness of the rooms; and, in spite of the last, we
have managed to have and hold twenty people and upwards through a
_ser