. I
hope I do not live quite as if I were. But it was a great shock from the
beginning. Henrietta always seemed so strong that I never feared that
way.

My first impulse was to rush to England, but this has been over-ruled by
everybody, and I believe wisely. With my usual luck I should just have
increased the sum of evil instead of bringing a single advantage to
anyone. The best thing I can do for the others, is to keep quiet and try
not to give cause for trouble on my account, to be patient and live on
God's daily bread from day to day. I had a crumb or two the day before
yesterday through Storm, who thought there might be a little less
pain--and here you have sent me almost a slice--may God be thanked! How
good you were to mention the doctor! It is grievous to me to think of
her suffering. Darling!

I knew how strong your sympathy and personal feeling would be, and, even
on that account, I had not the heart and courage to write to you. But
no, dearest friends, I did not receive the letter you speak of, though I
heard of your grief a good while afterwards. And so sorry I was--we both
were--so sorry for Fanny, so sorry for you! May God bless you all! How
the spiritual world gets thronged to us with familiar faces, till at
last, perhaps, the world here will seem the vague and strange world,
even while we remain.

Still, it is beautiful out of this window; and of public affairs in
Italy, I am stirred to think with the most vivid interest through all.
The rapture is not as in the northern war last year, because (you don't
understand that in England) last year we fought the Austrian and now it
is Italian against Italian,[90] which tempers every triumph with a
certain melancholy. Also the Italian question in the south was decided
in the north, and remained only a question of time, abbreviated (many
think rashly) by our hero Garibaldi. For the crisis, so quickened,
involves very serious dangers and most solemn thoughts. The southern
difficulty may be considered solved--so we think--but just now that very
solution opens out, as we all fear a new Austrian invasion in the north,
backed indirectly at least by Prussia and Germany, who will use the
opportunity in carrying out the coalition against France. There seems no
doubt of the mischief hatched at Toeplitz. I wish I had known that
England's influence was not used in drawing together those two powers.
Prussia deserves to be--what shall I say?--docked of her Rhenish
province