e (perforce)
wrote "My Star," and when the girl looked at it she exclaimed that it was
one of her old favorites, and showed him where she had already copied it
into the book.

At the station, when they drove down again to take the returning train,
one of the young _literati_ of Italy was there, and the Contessa
introduced him to Browning, saying that the young man had already achieved
distinction in letters. Mr. Browning talked with him most cordially, and
after they were on their way he said that the young writer "seemed to be a
youth of promise, and that he hoped he should meet him again." But when
they did hear of him again it was as the lecturer of a series of talks on
Zola, "which, as may be supposed," notes Mrs. Bronson, "the poet expressed
no desire to attend." The marvelous days of that unearthly loveliness of
Venice in the early autumn flew by, and Mrs. Bronson's guest returned to
DeVere Gardens. To his hostess the poet wrote, under date of DeVere
Gardens, December 15, 1888:

DEAREST FRIEND,--I may just say that and no more; for what can I say?
I shall never have your kindness out of my thoughts,--and you never
will forget me, I know. We shall please you by telling you our journey
was quite prosperous, and wonderfully fine weather, till it ended in
grim London, and its fog and cold. (At Basle there was cold, but the
sun made up for everything.) We altered our plans so far as to sleep
and to stay through a long day at Basle, visiting the museum,
cathedral, etc., and went on by night train in a sleeping-car, of
which we were the sole occupants, to Calais, directly. At Dover the
officials were prepared for us, would not look at the luggage, and
were very helpful as well as courteous; and at London orders had been
given to treat us with all possible good nature. They wouldn't let us
open any box but that where the lamp was packed; offered to take our
word for its weight, and finally asked me, "since there were the three
portions, would I accept the weight of the little vessel at bottom as
that of the other two?" "Rather," as Pen says, so they declined to
weigh the whole lamp, charging less than a quarter of what it does
weigh, and even then requiring assurance that I was "quite satisfied."
We were to be looked after first of all the passengers, and so got
away early enough to find things at home in excellent order.... I send
a hast