Manuscript letter

Archives Number: 1011/002.001-021#040

Cambridge Monday
Nov 17th 1851.
My dearest Emmeline,
Pray thank Mrs Wadsworth very kindly for her second note, received on Saturday, comforting me with the happy news of your successful convalescence thus far. I deeply rejoice with you in this new joy & trust it will be an abiding one – a blessed consolation for your many cares.
It must be an especial comfort to you to have a strong, healthy child after your year of fatigue & anxiety, & a good nurse I hope is shortly to appear to keep him so. I met Edward the other night at [p. 2] a ball given by Judge Curtis for his brother’s bride (a very pleasing little woman – what a twice lucky man is he!) & we talked of course of the new baby & he confided to me, greatly to my amusement, his total ignorance of its expected appearance & that he was convinced there was some mistake when the news reached him!
The obtuseness of bachelors on these points is often so remarkable that I think you ought, in charity, to have prepared him a little for the surprise. Sam was equally ignorant he told me, which perhaps was as well as he might have waited for the result & so been too late for this season.
The ball was very crowded & handsome, but I did not much enjoy [p. 3] it – I got near no very pleasant people except Edward – the hours were heavy. Mrs Thayer looked charmingly & I thought Miss Coolidge the most stylish intelligent looking girl. Miss Loring (lately returned) is very pretty now, & the little Otis’ looked very sweetly – Mary so timid & gentle, & both so prettily dressed. Emily makes a famous little house keeper I hear & gives dinners with the greatest ease.
I stopped at the Nortons on Saturday, on my way into town, & had the pleasure of seeing Jane (they arrived the day before) looking well but not so well as I hoped – They had a very boisterous passage & were very sea-sick – so much so that Louisa was still invisible – perhaps from other causes also – tho’ this is mere conjecture of mine. Mrs Chas Mills has a party for them on Thursday which ev’g I intended to appropriate for a little musical gathering for a [p. 4] a very pleasing Mrs Benzon (wife of our Swedish consul) who brings me a letter from Mrs Rich. She is a German, & sister of Lehmann a distinguished painter. Mrs Sidney Bartlett gives a ball this week at which many people turn up their noses - & Mrs Thayer next week to which I shall go – I think – So the winter gaiety seems to be beginning.
Tuesday – We went last night to hear Miss Cushman in a spirited French play & it was painful to see such good acting wasted upon a house of such ordinary brains & such sticks of actors. We took a quiet private box with the Howes Sumners &c, & had a very pleasant evening. Henry’s book is at my side – the only copy out – I think it the greatest thing he has done, tho’ it will not be generally popular probably. What will be your boy’s name? I hope Wm has borne the excitement of this event well, & that you are very prudent, my darling, & will feel it a duty not to resume your fatigues a moment sooner than you can fully bear them. Pray be very careful for all our sakes.
[p. 1 cross] Our love to Lizzy when you are able to write – how will she feel like such an event in a strange land? Mary always sends much love to you.
With kind regards to Wm & Mrs James –
ever yr loving
Fanny E. L.

• Keywords: correspondence; long archives; frances e. a. longfellow papers (long 20257); frances elizabeth (appleton) longfellow; people; document; subject; pregnancy and childbirth; social life; Correspondence (1011/002); (LONG-SeriesName); Letters from Frances Longfellow (1011/002.001); (LONG-SubseriesName); 1851 (1011/002.001-021); (LONG-FileUnitName)