_Liverpool_, Novr. 24th, 1858
_Dearest Wife_,
Your letter by the steamer of the 19th has come, and has given me
delight far beyond what I can tell thee. There never were such letters
in the world as thine; but this, no doubt, I have already told thee
over and over. What pleasantly surprises me is, that the beauty of thy
hand-writing has all come back, in these Lisbon letters, and they seem
precisely the same, in that respect, that my little virgin Dove used
to write me.
Before this reaches thee, thou wilt have received the trunks by the
Cintra, and also, the sad news of the death of O'Sullivan's brother. I
shall wait with the utmost anxiety for thy next letter. Do not thou
sympathise too much. Thou art wholly mine, and must not overburthen
thyself with anybody's grief--not even that of thy dearest friend next
to me. I wish I could be with thee.
I am impatient for thee to be well. Thou shouldst not trust wholly to
the climate, but must take medical advice--in Lisbon, if it is to be
had--otherwise, Dr. Wilkinson's. _Do_ take cod-liver oil. It is the
only thing I ever really had any faith in; and thou wilt not take it.
Thou dost confess to growing thin. Take cod-liver oil, and, at all
events, grow fat.
I suppose this calamity of the O'Sullivans will quite shut them up
from the world, at present.
Julian thrives, as usual. He has lately been out to dine with a boy of
about his own age, in the neighborhood. His greatest daily grievance
is, that he is not allowed to have his dinner at 5½, with the rest of
the family, but dines at one, and sups alone at our dinner time. He
never has anything between meals, unless it be apples. I believe I
told thee, in my last, that I had give up the thought of sending him
to school, for the present. It would be so great and hazardous a
change, in the whole system of his life, that I do not like to risk it
as long as he continues to do well. The intercourse which he holds
with the people of Mrs. Blodgett's seems to me of a healthy kind. They
make a playmate of him, to a certain extent, but do him no mischief;
whereas, the best set of boys in the world would infallibly bring him
harm as well as good. His manners improve, and I do not at all
despair of seeing him grow up a gentleman. It is singular how
completely all his affections of the head have disappeared;--and that,
too, without any prescriptions from Dr. Dryasdust. I encourage him to
make complaints of his health, rather than the contrary; but he always
declares himself quite well. The difficulty heretofore has been, I
think, that he had grown morbid for want of a wider sphere.
Miss Williams is very unwell, and, for the last two or three days, has
had several visits from the Doctor;--being confined to her bed, and in
great pain. I don't know what her disorder is; but she is excessively
nervous, and is made ill by anything that agitates her. The rumor of
war with America confined her for several days.
Give my most affectionate regards to the O'Sullivans. I never felt
half so grateful to anybody, as I do to them, for the care they take
of thee. It would make a summer climate of Nova Zembla, to say nothing
of Lisbon.