ey may cure him,
for the best deed they can do. He is not precisely in danger,
understand--but the complaint may _run_ into danger--so the account
went.

And you? how are you? Mind to tell me. May God bless you. Is Monday or
Tuesday to be _our_ day? If it were not for Mr. Kenyon I should take
courage and say Monday--but Tuesday and Saturday would do as
well--would they not?

Your own

BA.

Shall I have a letter?

_R.B. to E.B.B._

Saturday.
[Post-mark, January 31, 1846.]

It is a relief to me this time to obey your wish, and reserve further
remark on _that_ subject till by and bye. And, whereas some people, I
suppose, have to lash themselves up to the due point of passion, and
choose the happy minutes to be as loving in as they possibly can ...
(that is, in _expression_; the just correspondency of word to fact and
feeling: for _it_--the love--may be very truly _there_, at the bottom,
when it is got at, and spoken out)--quite otherwise, I do really have
to guard my tongue and set a watch on my pen ... that so I may say as
little as can well be likely to be excepted to by your generosity.
Dearest, _love_ means _love_, certainly, and adoration carries its
sense with it--and _so_, you may have received my feeling in that
shape--but when I begin to hint at the merest putting into practice
one or the other profession, you 'fly out'--instead of keeping your
throne. So let this letter lie awhile, till my heart is more used to
it, and after some days or weeks I will find as cold and quiet a
moment as I can, and by standing as far off you as I shall be able,
see more--'si _minus prope_ stes, te capiet magis.' Meanwhile, silent
or speaking, I am yours to dispose of as that _glove_--not that hand.

I must think that Mr. Kenyon sees, and knows, and ... in his goodness
... hardly disapproves--he knows I could not avoid--escape you--for he
knows, in a manner, what you are ... like your American; and, early in
our intercourse, he asked me (did I tell you?) 'what I thought of his
young relative'--and I considered half a second to this effect--'if he
asked me what I thought of the Queen-diamond they showed me in the
crown of the Czar--and I answered truly--he would not return; "then of
course you mean to try and get it to keep."' So I _did_ tell the truth
i