Wordsworth, Dora (1804-1847). - Letter, from Rydal Mount, to Edward Quillinan (1791-1851), at Gloucester Place, New Road, dated 17 May 1833. WLL / Wordsworth, Dora / 1 / 48

May 17 1833.

Thank you very kindly my dear MrQuillinan for your note from Lee - Your reproaches for not writing more frequently entertained me no little after telling me as you did in a previous letter that I was not to write, & in spite of which, I had been impudent enough to trouble you with a long long scrawl: but you gentlemen never know your own minds so it is impossible to please you - Then you more than half promised a long letter from Lee - & I was expecting & expecting it every day for more than a month - & when I expressed my surprize that we never heard from you my Mother & Aunt Sarah

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easily accounted for your silence "You were gone a wooing to Margate" - so I was satisfied in thinking you were well & happily employed. Where you are now I cant guess but as Sir Thomas Pasley, who sets off for town this afternoon, offers to be the bearer of any letters, I will enclose this to Miss Booth's care who we think is most likely to know where you are to be found. I wrote twice to my child when you had yours at Lee. They were sent by friends who left our neighourhood for London & I half hope for my own credit's sake one or both may have never reached the Darling I am quite ashamed of

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writing to her so frequently but when opportunity serves I have not virtue to deny myself so great a pleasure - pray thank her for her last - as I have not time to do so myself this morning - I was glad to hear that both the Darlings were enjoying the sunshine & flowers & Nightingales & Cuckoos - & blackbirds and Thrushes at poor Lee -

Our dear Invalid is not making way as fast as we hoped tho she bid me tell you with affectionate love that she had got the use of her legs - the hot weather has unluckily been accompanied with a great deal of thunder which

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always disorders her poor system - she has however been twice out in the garden & bore the exertion very much better than she did last spring which makes us very hopeful: thus far we have all escaped the Influenza which is almost universal in this neighbourhood & for her sake I trust we may escape - poor E. Cookson who always takes every thing has been very ill - but thank God is recovering, tho' looking woefully thin and ill - Aunt is in great glee at the prospect of seeing her lover Mr Robinson who told her says in a letter received yesterday that in about three

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weeks he will pass a few days at Rydal on his way to Staffa & the Hebrides & Father in reply told him if Aunt continued tolerable it was not impossible but that he too might accompany him to the Western Isles & I wish he may for I long to get him from home for a few weeks. Now if you will send my vile little green book to 2. Plowden's Temple buildings Mr R. will rid you of it. really it has quite annoyed me that you should have been so long troubled with it; & then I can only thank you - which I do most sincerely. Do tell us how you are - & if that distressing sensation, pain you say it is not, has left your head

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Aunt Sarah with love desires me to say that she was sadly provoked not to be able to send you a supply of stockings this year (past I suppose she means) but she goes into Herefordshire this next month - There she can get proper materials to make them of (which she could not here) there she will make them & there she fully expects to meet you - & I suppose she will; & we are quite jealous, for as your northern star is stepping westward you will of course step westward too - and we shall see nothing of you for another twelvemonth - but don't tell us you are not coming

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The Grandchild poor little Darling has had the Influenza but is better - its sweet mother is quite strong & well for her they are all coming to us next month Father and Aunt Sarah have both seen it & pronounce it as nice a little Creature as ever was seen & it ought to be something tidy for already it has had two fine poems addressed to it. Father has written several 100 lines this spring but only "tiresome small Poems" as Mother calls them who is vexed she cannot get him set down to his long work. I dont believe the "Recluse" will ever be finished He has written two or three sweet

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Poems - a few lines in one of them will please you especially, as shewing very happily the poetry of Romanism & making us wish that some of your Rites had been retained by our Church - I wish we could persuade him to print but at present he is unpersuadable -

Cyril has allowed us to read the 1st Vol: of his book on America & we like it much - his opinions are sound - & his judgement is neither led away by enthusiasm nor blinded by prejudice. as to the manners of the Americans in general, he quite confirms all that Mrs Troloppe has said of them.

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he comes slowly on with his second volume & has had serious thoughts of flying back to Edinburgh as he cannot work in this Castle of Indolence Vale - Dr Arnolds house keeps pace with the peas & beans & Father who is his "Master of the Works" is quite the great Man of his parish - & the hat is now so often taken off to him - he hardly knows what to make of it -

Janetta is expected at Ambleside early next month - she will first visit her old school fellow Miss North & then come to us if as we hope & expect dear Aunt continues as she is I heard from her a few days ago & she

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speaks of herself as much better tho' not strong enough yet to encounter the labor of an employment like her own - Cousin Cambridge John is worse than you for he has taken no notice whatever of a long letter sent to him months ago but I received such a nice one from dear little Chris begun on Mount Parnassus continued at Thebes & ended in Athens - he was quite well hopes to be in England early in June & promises to come to give us a viva voce account of his seeings & doings. Your message was sent to our Carlisle

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young Gentleman who I think has pretty nearly lost his wits as I had half a doz: lines from him yesterday beginning "dear Dora" & ending "yours truly" - & not a love to, or an enquiry after, one of his home friends except indeed his sick Aunt - but I suppose all must be forgiven as he is in Love -

We heard from Keswick today where they are all well - Edith in the 7th Heaven at the prospect of a meeting with her Friend next month after a separation of nearly four years -

Dont say the Nightingale is a mocking bird for you this year - depend upon it she

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was telling of bright & tranquil days still in store for you which will be the more prized on account of the rude and heartless storms you have had to encounter - & that those days may be nigh at hand is the sincere prayer of all in this house.

God bless you & yours - believe me always faithfully & affectionately your friend

Dora Wordsworth

Rydal Mount

May 17th 1833

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If it be more convenient to you to send my book to No 2. Portland Place Sir Thomas Pasley who returns to Rydal in a month will bring it for me - but pray remember that I am only anxious to rid you of the book I dont want it myself -

Moxon has sent us a copy of his sonnets and "very tidy" sonnets we think them. We have been delighted with the new Elias. I guess you have not yet had much time to look into the book - by the way we have at last got a sight of your notice on "Miserrimus" in the same No: of the Athenaeum - no not in the same No: but in the same month. There is very honorable mention made of my Father & Mr Southey by Lord Byron (in a notice of the Life and Works of Lord B.) - where he says that if Southey had a Shilling Wordsworth had sixpence of it - Odd enough - we dont believe that since they were known to each other a word on money matters borrowing giving or lending to the amount of a penny past between them.

Poor things neither the one nor the other has

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ever a sixpence in his Pocket. Lord B. has the audacity to affirm that Father said "He wd not give 5/ for all the poetry Southey ever wrote" - & then what vexes me most he goes on to say "Perhaps this calculation might rather shew his esteem for 5/ than his low estimate of Dr Southey" -

But it is very weak in me to be vexed by such wicked lies - & still worse to trouble you with such nonsense

Edward Quillinan Esqre

Gloucester Place

New Road

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Object summary: WLL / Wordsworth, Dora / 1 / 48