Like I haven't said enough about the Brownings

If this goes on I’m going to have to make them their own category. The lovely wonderful Brownings. Lovely strong brave brilliant Elizabeth Barrett and lovely sweet dear nice Robert. Every time I think that I have maxed out my capacity for being fond of them, I learn something new that makes me love them still more.

Okay, so today I was reading about them and apparently Elizabeth Barrett Browning, she was all impatient, and she was forever reading the ends of books! Before she got to them! Like me! I was pleased, because people are always condemning my end-reading ways and telling me that I’m diminishing my enjoyment of my books (which I am definitely not).

And then I was thinking about the Brownings and how they had a beautiful love, so I went and found a book of their letters to each other on Project Gutenberg, and this is what Robert Browning wrote to her one time, early on in their acquaintance, at the beginning of one of his letters:

Will you grant me a great favour? Always when you write, though about your own works, not Greek plays merely, put me in, always, a little official bulletin-line that shall say 'I am better' or 'still better,' will you?

And then at the end of the letter he reminds her again:

Now, will you remember what I began my letter by saying—how you have promised to let me know if my wishing takes effect, and if you still continue better? And not even ... (since we are learned in magnanimity) don't even tell me that or anything else, if it teases you,—but wait your own good time, and know me for ... if these words were but my own, and fresh-minted for this moment's use!...


Yours ever faithfully,

R. Browning.

I know I’ve said this before, but Robert Browning was such a dear. He was such a sweet dear. And aw, one time he sent her a letter that totally horrified her, and then they were both really embarrassed for like the next seven letters they wrote to each other. They kept taking it in turns to apologize for the last thing they said and insist that they were never going to mention the shocking letter again. And then they spent a lot of time having the “I admire you more”, “No, I admire you more” argument. Bless their hearts.