GE to Sara Sophia Hennell, London, [25 June 1864]
Title
GE to Sara Sophia Hennell, London, [25 June 1864]
Title
GE to Sara Sophia Hennell, London, [25 June 1864]
Sender
George Eliot
Recipient
Sara Sophia Hennell
Date(s)
- 1864-06-25
Place
London
Letter Content
GE to Sara Sophia Hennell, London, [25 June 1864]
MS: Yale. Endorsed: July 25, 1864. Extracts published: Cross, II, 384-385.
The Priory, | 21. North Bank, | Regents Park.
Saturday.
Dear Sara
Your letter has affected me deeply. Thank you very much for writing it. It seems as if a close view of almost every human lot would disclose some suffering that makes life a doubtful good -- except perhaps at certain epochs of fresh love, fresh creative activity, or unusual power of helping others. One such epoch we are witnessing in a young life that is very near to us. Our "Boy," Charles has just become engaged, and it is very pretty to see the happiness of a pure first love, full at present of nothing but promise. It will interest you to know that the young lady who has won his heart and seems to have given him her own with equal ardour and entireness, is the granddaughter of Dr. Southwood Smith 274 -- the granddaughter whom he adopted when she was 3 years old, and brought up under his own eye. He left her to the care of the two Miss Gillies 275 -- (you have heard of Margaret Gillies) and these two elderly women dote upon their Gertrude, which is one good testimony to her character.
She is very handsome, and has a splendid contralto voice, which was educated for some time with the idea of her having a professional career -- an idea since given up. Altogether "Pater" and I rejoice, for though the engagement has taken place earlier than we expected or should perhaps have chosen, there are counterbalancing advantages. I always hoped Charlie would be able to choose or rather find the other half of himself by the time he was 23 -- the event has only come a year and a half sooner. This is the news that greeted us on our return! We had seen before we went that the acquaintance which was first made eighteen months or more ago, had become supremely interesting to Charlie, but his father suspected that it would "come to nothing," and that she being four years the elder was not likely to fall in love with our crude bit of human goodness. But parents are not judges in these matters. Altogether, we rejoice.
Our journey was delightful, in spite of Mr. Lewes's frequent malaise, for his cheerful nature is rarely subdued even by bodily discomfort.
We saw only one place that we had not seen before, namely Brescia; but all the rest seemed more glorious to us than they had seemed four years ago. Our course was to Venice, where we stayed a fortnight, pausing only at Paris, Turin and Milan on our way thither, and taking Padua, Verona, Brescia, and again Milan, as points of rest on our way back. Our friend Mr. Burton's company was very stimulating from his great knowledge not of pictures only but of almost all other subjects. He has had the advantage of living in Germany for five or six years, and has gained those large serious views of history which are a special product of German culture and this was his first visit to Italy, though he is not less than 6 or 7 and 40! So you may imagine his eager enjoyment in finding Italy beautiful beyond his hopes. We crossed the Alps by the St. Gothard and stayed a day or two at Lucerne -- and this again was a first sight of Switzerland to him. But his life too has been saddened by much trouble, and his health is miserably delicate. He paints with his left hand, having had his right shoulder intrinsically injured when he was a child, and his wrist is contracted inward by the palm[?].
Best love to Cara and Mr. Bray, and sincere fellow-feeling in all their trouble.
Thine ever
Pollian.
That bit of literary gossip you have seen in a newspaper is like most such gossip false. The foundation for it is only a trifle 276 which I wrote 3 or 4 years ago, and have just given to Mr. Smith because he wanted something for his forthcoming number of the Cornhill, and his [two words illegible] to Mr. Lewes [over the editorship?] is so [considerate?] that I am willing to shew him any sign of appreciation.
MS: Yale. Endorsed: July 25, 1864. Extracts published: Cross, II, 384-385.
The Priory, | 21. North Bank, | Regents Park.
Saturday.
Dear Sara
Your letter has affected me deeply. Thank you very much for writing it. It seems as if a close view of almost every human lot would disclose some suffering that makes life a doubtful good -- except perhaps at certain epochs of fresh love, fresh creative activity, or unusual power of helping others. One such epoch we are witnessing in a young life that is very near to us. Our "Boy," Charles has just become engaged, and it is very pretty to see the happiness of a pure first love, full at present of nothing but promise. It will interest you to know that the young lady who has won his heart and seems to have given him her own with equal ardour and entireness, is the granddaughter of Dr. Southwood Smith 274 -- the granddaughter whom he adopted when she was 3 years old, and brought up under his own eye. He left her to the care of the two Miss Gillies 275 -- (you have heard of Margaret Gillies) and these two elderly women dote upon their Gertrude, which is one good testimony to her character.
She is very handsome, and has a splendid contralto voice, which was educated for some time with the idea of her having a professional career -- an idea since given up. Altogether "Pater" and I rejoice, for though the engagement has taken place earlier than we expected or should perhaps have chosen, there are counterbalancing advantages. I always hoped Charlie would be able to choose or rather find the other half of himself by the time he was 23 -- the event has only come a year and a half sooner. This is the news that greeted us on our return! We had seen before we went that the acquaintance which was first made eighteen months or more ago, had become supremely interesting to Charlie, but his father suspected that it would "come to nothing," and that she being four years the elder was not likely to fall in love with our crude bit of human goodness. But parents are not judges in these matters. Altogether, we rejoice.
Our journey was delightful, in spite of Mr. Lewes's frequent malaise, for his cheerful nature is rarely subdued even by bodily discomfort.
We saw only one place that we had not seen before, namely Brescia; but all the rest seemed more glorious to us than they had seemed four years ago. Our course was to Venice, where we stayed a fortnight, pausing only at Paris, Turin and Milan on our way thither, and taking Padua, Verona, Brescia, and again Milan, as points of rest on our way back. Our friend Mr. Burton's company was very stimulating from his great knowledge not of pictures only but of almost all other subjects. He has had the advantage of living in Germany for five or six years, and has gained those large serious views of history which are a special product of German culture and this was his first visit to Italy, though he is not less than 6 or 7 and 40! So you may imagine his eager enjoyment in finding Italy beautiful beyond his hopes. We crossed the Alps by the St. Gothard and stayed a day or two at Lucerne -- and this again was a first sight of Switzerland to him. But his life too has been saddened by much trouble, and his health is miserably delicate. He paints with his left hand, having had his right shoulder intrinsically injured when he was a child, and his wrist is contracted inward by the palm[?].
Best love to Cara and Mr. Bray, and sincere fellow-feeling in all their trouble.
Thine ever
Pollian.
That bit of literary gossip you have seen in a newspaper is like most such gossip false. The foundation for it is only a trifle 276 which I wrote 3 or 4 years ago, and have just given to Mr. Smith because he wanted something for his forthcoming number of the Cornhill, and his [two words illegible] to Mr. Lewes [over the editorship?] is so [considerate?] that I am willing to shew him any sign of appreciation.
Signature
Pollian.
Citation
George Eliot, GE to Sara Sophia Hennell, London, [25 June 1864], Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/93958