sfortune to relish their society, and to need but
too pressingly their 'tobacco-money,' what can he do but suit himself
to their capacities?--And D. Jerrold was very amusing and clever in
his 'Country Gull'--And Mr. Leech superb in the Town Master Mathew.
All were good, indeed, and were voted good, and called on, and cheered
off, and praised heartily behind their backs and before the curtain.
Stanfield's function had exercise solely in the touching up (very
effectively) sundry 'Scenes'--painted scenes--and the dresses, which
were perfect, had the advantage of Mr. Maclise's experience. And--all
is told!

And now; I shall hear, you promise me, if anything occurs--with what
feeling, I wait and hope, you know. If there is _no_ best of reasons
against it, Saturday, you remember, is my day--This fine weather, too!

May God bless my dearest friend--

Ever yours

R.B.

_E.B.B. to R.B._

[Post-mark, September 25, 1845.]

I have spoken again, and the result is that we are in precisely the
same position; only with bitterer feelings on one side. If I go or
stay they _must_ be bitter: words have been said that I cannot easily
forget, nor remember without pain; and yet I really do almost smile in
the midst of it all, to think how I was treated this morning as an
undutiful daughter because I tried to put on my gloves ... for there
was no worse provocation. At least he complained of the undutifulness
and rebellion (!!!) of everyone in the house--and when I asked if he
meant that reproach for _me_, the answer was that he meant it for all
of us, one with another. And I could not get an answer. He would not
even grant me the consolation of thinking that I sacrificed what I
supposed to be good, to _him_. I told him that my prospects of health
seemed to me to depend on taking this step, but that through my
affection for him, I was ready to sacrifice those to his pleasure if
he exacted it--only it was necessary to my self-satisfaction in future
years, to understand definitely that the sacrifice _was_ exacted by
him and _was_ made to him, ... and not thrown away blindly and by a
misapprehension. And he would not answer _that_. I might do my own
way, he said--_he_ would not speak--_he_ would not say that he was not
displeased with me, nor the contrary:--I had better do what I
liked:--for his part, he washed hi