XCIX. To FANNY KEATS. Wentworth Place My dear Fanny, Still I cannot afford to spend money by Coach[h]ire and still my throat is not well enough to warrant my walking. I went yesterday' to ask Mr. Abbey for some money; but I could not on account of a Letter he showed me from my Aunt's solicitor. You do not understand the business. I trust it will not in the end be detrimental to you. I am going to try the Press once more, and to that end shall retire to live cheaply in the country and compose myself and verses as well as I can. I have very good friends ready to help me-and I am the more bound to be careful of the money they lend me. It will all be well in the course of a year I hope. I am confident of it, so do not let it trouble you at all. Mr. Abbey showed me a Letter he had received from George containing the news of the birth of a Niece for us and all doing well-he said he would take it to you-so I suppose to day you will see it. I was preparing to enqu[i]re for a situation with an apothecary, but Mr. Brown persuad[e]s me to try the press once more; so I will with all my industry and ability. Mr. Rice a friend of mine in ill health has proposed ret[i]ring 1 This evidently refers to the same visit that is mentioned in the next letter to Haydon as having taken place" the day before yesterday". If therefore the 17th of June is the right date for that letter, the 16th is the right date for this-of which the original has no date or postmark. 1 to the back of the Isle of Wight—which I hope will be cheap in the summer-I am sure it will in the winter. Thence you shall frequently hear from me and in the Letters I will copy those lines I may write which will be most pleasing to you in the confidence you will show them to no one. I have not run quite aground yet I hope, having written this morning to several people to whom I have lent money requesting repayment. I shall henceforth shake off my indolent fits, and among other reformation be more diligent in writing to you, and mind you always answer me. I shall be obliged to go out of town on Saturday' and shall have no money till to-morrow, so I am very sorry to think I shall not be able to come to Walthamstow. The Head Mr Seve[r]n did of me is now too dear, but here inclosed is a very capital Profile done by Mr. Brown. I will write again on Monday or Tuesday-Mr. and Mrs. Dilke are well. Your affectionate Brother John 1 In the original, hencefore. 2 The 16th of June 1819 was a Wednesday; so that he would seem to infer that he wanted the rest of the time, after getting his money, for preparations to depart. I do not know what day he and Rice actually started; but the first letter to Fanny Brawne shows that they were in the Isle of Wight on the 1st of July and probably on the 29th of June, if no earlier. C. To BENJAMIN ROBERT HAYDON. My dear Haydon, Wentworth Place Thursday Morning [17 June 1819]. I know you will not be prepared for this, because your Pocket must needs be very low having been at ebb tide so long: but what can I do? mine is lower. I was the day before yesterday much in want of Money: but some news I had yesterday has driven me into necessity. I went to Abbey's for some Cash, and he put into my hand a letter from my Aunt's Solicitor containing the pleasant information that she was about to file a Bill in Chancery against us. Now in case of a defeat Abbey will be very undeservedly in the wrong box; so I could not ask him for any more money, nor can I till the affair is decided; and if it goes against him I must in conscience make over to him what little he may have remaining. My purpose is now to make one more attempt in the Press-if that fail, "ye hear no more of me” as The original manuscript of this letter is wafered into Haydon's journal on the next leaf to that whereto the letters of the 12th and 13th of April are fastened. This one has an imperfect postmark: the day of the month is 17—the year 1819; and there can be no doubt the month is June. The circumstances are clearly those detailed in the previous letter to his sister, which, as clearly, comes after the one postmarked the 14th of June and before that of the 6th of July from Shanklin. It will be borne in mind that Keats was only seeking from Haydon the return of money lent: that the correspondence already given eventuated in a small loan to Haydon there can be no doubt, seeing that Keats gives his brother an account of the affair later on, in the Winchester journal-letter of September 1819. Chaucer says. Brown has lent me some money for the present. Do borrow or beg some how what you can for me. Do not suppose I am at all uncomfortable about the matter in any other way than as it forces me to apply to the needy. I could not send you those lines, for I could not get the only copy of them before last Saturday evening. I sent them Mr. Elmes on Monday. I saw Monkhouse on Sunday-he told me you were getting on with the Picture. I would have come over to you to day, but I am fully employed I have just received another Letter from Georgefull of as good news as we can expect. I cannot inclose it to you as I could wish because it contains matters of Business to which I must for a Week to come have an immediate reference. I think I told you the purpose for which I retired to this place-to try the fortune of my Pen once more, and indeed I have some confidence (CI) Between the last letter to Haydon and this to his sister may be read the first of the Fanny Brawne series, written on the 1st of July. in my success: but in every event, believe me my dear sister, I shall be sufficiently comfortable, as, if I cannot lead that life of competence and society I should wish, I have enough knowledge of my gallipots to ensure me an employment and maintenance. The Place I am in now I visited once before' and a very pretty place it is were it not for the bad weather. Our window looks over house-tops and Cliffs onto the Sea, so that when the Ships sail past the Cottage chimneys you may take them for weathercocks. We have Hill and Dale, forest and Mead, and plenty of Lobsters. I was on the Portsmouth Coach the Sunday before last in that heavy shower— and I may say I went to Portsmouth by water-I got a little cold, and as it always flies to my throat I am a little out of sorts that way. There were on the Coach with me some common French people but very well behaved-there was a woman amongst them to whom the poor Men in ragged coats were more gallant than ever I saw gentleman to Lady at a Ball. When we got down to walk up hill-one of them pick'd a rose, and on remounting gave it to the woman with 'Ma'mselle voila une bell[e] rose!' I am so hard at work that perhaps I should not have written to you for a day or two if George's Letter had not diverted my attention to the interests and pleasure of those I love-and ever believe that when I do not behave punctually it is from a very necessary occupation, and that my silence is no proof of my not thinking of you, or that I want more than a gentle fillip to bring your image with every claim before me. You have never seen mountains, or I 2 might tell you that the hill at Steephill is I think almost 1 In April 1817: see Letter VII. 2 In the original, philip. |