FE.

IN THE PITTI GALLERY, FLORENCE.

"_You turn your face, but does it bring your heart?_"

Andrea del Sarto.]

The Parisian winter was full of movement and interest. No
twentieth-century prophet had then arisen to instruct the populace how to
live on twenty-four hours a day, but the Brownings captured what time they
could rescue from the devouring elements, rose early, breakfasted at nine,
and gave the next hour and a half to Penini's lessons,--"the darling,
idle, distracted child," who was "blossoming like a rose" all this time;
who "learned everything by magnetism," and, however "idle," was still able
in seven weeks to read French "quite surprisingly." Mrs. Browning had
already finished and transcribed some six thousand lines (making five
books) of "Aurora Leigh "; but she planned at least two more books to
complete the poem, which must needs be ready by June; and when, by the
author's calendar, it is February, by some necromancy June is apt to come
in the next morning. The Brownings made it an invariable rule to receive
no visitors till after four, but the days had still a trick of vanishing
like the fleet angel who departs before he leaves his blessing. At all
events, the last days of May came before "Aurora Leigh" was completed, and
its author half despairingly realized that two weeks more were needed for
the transcription of her little slips to the pages ready for the press.

Meantime Browning had occupied himself for a time in an attempt to revise
"Sordello," an effort soon abandoned, as he saw that, for good or ill, the
work must stand as first written.

Madame Mohl's "evenings" continued to attract Browning, where he met a
most congenial and brilliant circle, and while his wife was unable to
accompany him to these mild festivities, she insisted that he should avail
himself of these opportunities for intercourse with French society. With
Lady Monson he went to see Ristori in "Medea," finding her great, but
not, in his impression, surpassing Rachel. Monckton Milnes comes over to
Paris, and a Frenchman of letters gives a dinner for him, at which
Browning meets George Sand and Cavour.

The success of "Men and Women" was by this time assured. Browning stood in
the full light of recognition on both sides the ocean. For America--or
rather, perhaps, one should say, Boston, for American recognition focused
in Boston (which was then, at all events, incontestably the center of all
"sweetness and light")--discer