withered or no, and at present it is fresh. Now, thank you for what?
For everything, your love, and thoughts, and regrets, too. Do not we,
too, regret that Italy is closed to us; but the comfort out of the
vexation is that you will, will you not, cross to London from Paris,
and so we shall see you for all the multiplied hindrances. Now how do
you suppose it is faring with us? We are alone. Our hostess was
summoned to America last week, to her extreme regret, and after a hot
business of telegraphing and being telegraphed to, left last
Wednesday. She had taken this comfortable villa till the middle of
December, and would not hear of our quitting it, and, all things
considered, we had little inclination to do so, for you were from
home, and what would be the good of lingering out this month
elsewhere, the air and influences happening to suit us extremely. So
our plan is to stay out Sept. here, and be content with at most two
months' absence, instead of the four we utterly enjoyed last year.
Mrs. Moore was altogether as kind and considerate as possible, and has
made every possible provision for our comfort after her departure. We
are quite alone. Friends are in the place, but we only get glimpses of
them. The place is emptying fast, the pensions shut up, the walks on
the mountain-side are wholly our own. Two days ago the snow fell
thickly, and what a sight were the mountains next morning in a glowing
sun! These changes I expect will diversify the whole month, and inside
this warm, pleasant room Sarianna and I read, and don't require "the
devil to find some missing ill for idle hands to do." You have much
more to enjoy with all that good music thrown in, and I am glad for
you. We get books and papers enough, and I am correcting proofs of the
poem I was too negligent about in London. Many distractions stood in
the way of that. After all, we have attained the main object of our
journey, the complete re-establishment of Sarianna's health, who walks
twice a day, just as of old. I am cheered, too, by letters from
Robert, the last of which comes just now.

He was anxious that his statue of "Dryope" should be seen at the
Brussels exhibition, a triennial one, and important from the
concurrence of the best foreign artists; but the "Grosvenor," where it
was shown, did not close till the first week