GE and GHL to Mrs. Elma Stuart, London, 12 September 1876
Title
GE and GHL to Mrs. Elma Stuart, London, 12 September 1876
Title
GE and GHL to Mrs. Elma Stuart, London, 12 September 1876
Sender
George Eliot, George Henry Lewes
Recipient
Mrs. Elma Stuart
Date(s)
- 1876-09-12
Place
London
Letter Content
GE and GHL to Mrs. Elma Stuart, London, 12 September 1876
MS: British Museum. Published: Stuart, pp. 60-64.
The Priory, | 21. North Bank, | Regents Park.
September 12. 76.
Dearest Elma
We think you will like to know that we are at home again, and are strengthened by our travel. At first we were unfortunate. When we arrived at beautiful Aix, where I promised myself that I should get well upon the rich greenth penetrated by sunlight, I fell really ill, and we soon saw that we must give up the Italian project. So we presently turned northward (after a visit to Chamb'e9ry and a pilgrimage to [Les Charmettes]) and we even feared that we must wend slowly home. But after lingering a little too long about Lake Leman we resolved to try Ragatz, and even the getting on to rather higher ground in our journey thither did me good. Ragatz itself began to set me up, and when I tell you that every day, during the greater part of our three months' absence, we walked about five hours, beginning our exercise before breakfast, you will perhaps be sceptical as to my want of health and strength. After Ragatz, we tried Stachelberg and the Kl'f6n-thal, keeping away from the usual haunts of the English and Americans. Then we went by Schaffhausen on to the Schwarzwald and lingered at St. Blasien, a Luft-kur which might also be called a Ruhe-kur, so still are the pine-tops against the serene heavens. Our journey home was made very slowly, lest we should tire our poor bodies into invalidism again, and we arrived only a week ago. Mr. Lewes, notwithstanding fluctuations, revisitings of cramp and too frequent headaches, is on the whole much stronger and is pronounced to look better than he did three months ago. We really enjoyed our fresh vision of the mountains, and our walks by the shady sides of great torrents, or in the stillness of the pine-woods, or in the open sunshine among grassy places. And the little inconveniences of sojourn in hotels have given new zest to our home comforts -- but I need not tell you things which are in the history of every mortal who has a home and has once travelled away from it. The best travel is that which one can take by one's own fireside, in memory or imagination.
But whether at home or abroad, "thy woollens are ever with me." (The quotation marks have reference not to the Bible, but to my thoughts, which I this morning uttered aloud to Mr. Lewes.)
And how are you? and how is Roly -- how is sweet Mrs. Menzies? The thistle tea-service is not, I trust, felt to be a vanity, but helps the cheerfulness of tea-time. Tell me all about yourself.
We are as happy as life can make us. On Saturday we went to see our children in their Kentish cottage, 525 which they have built to themselves on a glorious, high common where they have a far-stretching country below them and a wide sky, the sunset red behind the heather in front of their little drawing-room window. I drank tea out of the pretty tea-cup that you made a present of to Blanche -- that having been a pleasure prepared for me in her mind, under her Mamma's inspiration.
Mr. Lewes sends his love with mine. We shall both look for your handwriting on the backs of letters until we have been satisfied with news of you.
Ever your affectionate mother
M. E. Lewes.
Madonna has not told you how often your name was on our tongues often suggested by the fact that your stick -- the famous vine! -- was in my hands as we clomb the mountain sides. Nor has she told you how she began to teach me Hebrew, and how in consequence we made the woods astonished at the uncouth sounds of my bungling attempts at speaking the language of Mirah and Mordecai.
G. H. L.
MS: British Museum. Published: Stuart, pp. 60-64.
The Priory, | 21. North Bank, | Regents Park.
September 12. 76.
Dearest Elma
We think you will like to know that we are at home again, and are strengthened by our travel. At first we were unfortunate. When we arrived at beautiful Aix, where I promised myself that I should get well upon the rich greenth penetrated by sunlight, I fell really ill, and we soon saw that we must give up the Italian project. So we presently turned northward (after a visit to Chamb'e9ry and a pilgrimage to [Les Charmettes]) and we even feared that we must wend slowly home. But after lingering a little too long about Lake Leman we resolved to try Ragatz, and even the getting on to rather higher ground in our journey thither did me good. Ragatz itself began to set me up, and when I tell you that every day, during the greater part of our three months' absence, we walked about five hours, beginning our exercise before breakfast, you will perhaps be sceptical as to my want of health and strength. After Ragatz, we tried Stachelberg and the Kl'f6n-thal, keeping away from the usual haunts of the English and Americans. Then we went by Schaffhausen on to the Schwarzwald and lingered at St. Blasien, a Luft-kur which might also be called a Ruhe-kur, so still are the pine-tops against the serene heavens. Our journey home was made very slowly, lest we should tire our poor bodies into invalidism again, and we arrived only a week ago. Mr. Lewes, notwithstanding fluctuations, revisitings of cramp and too frequent headaches, is on the whole much stronger and is pronounced to look better than he did three months ago. We really enjoyed our fresh vision of the mountains, and our walks by the shady sides of great torrents, or in the stillness of the pine-woods, or in the open sunshine among grassy places. And the little inconveniences of sojourn in hotels have given new zest to our home comforts -- but I need not tell you things which are in the history of every mortal who has a home and has once travelled away from it. The best travel is that which one can take by one's own fireside, in memory or imagination.
But whether at home or abroad, "thy woollens are ever with me." (The quotation marks have reference not to the Bible, but to my thoughts, which I this morning uttered aloud to Mr. Lewes.)
And how are you? and how is Roly -- how is sweet Mrs. Menzies? The thistle tea-service is not, I trust, felt to be a vanity, but helps the cheerfulness of tea-time. Tell me all about yourself.
We are as happy as life can make us. On Saturday we went to see our children in their Kentish cottage, 525 which they have built to themselves on a glorious, high common where they have a far-stretching country below them and a wide sky, the sunset red behind the heather in front of their little drawing-room window. I drank tea out of the pretty tea-cup that you made a present of to Blanche -- that having been a pleasure prepared for me in her mind, under her Mamma's inspiration.
Mr. Lewes sends his love with mine. We shall both look for your handwriting on the backs of letters until we have been satisfied with news of you.
Ever your affectionate mother
M. E. Lewes.
Madonna has not told you how often your name was on our tongues often suggested by the fact that your stick -- the famous vine! -- was in my hands as we clomb the mountain sides. Nor has she told you how she began to teach me Hebrew, and how in consequence we made the woods astonished at the uncouth sounds of my bungling attempts at speaking the language of Mirah and Mordecai.
G. H. L.
Signature
M. E. Lewes.
Citation
George Eliot, George Henry Lewes, GE and GHL to Mrs. Elma Stuart, London, 12 September 1876, Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/91863