File:Frances (Appleton) Longfellow to Emmeline (Austin) Wadsworth, 17 February 1840 (ab9b61b5-0a52-43ab-a785-0d631c5a23d9).jpg

Manuscript letter

Archives Number: 1011/002.001-010#008

Washington Feb 17th 1840.
Why will you thus heap coals of fire on my head, my soul’s treasure, in the shape of such kind, nice letters to crush me with the heaviest pangs of remorse for my wilful [sic] neglect and ‘damd’ laziness which I fear is the best excuse I can offer for my awful pauses & intermittent greetings. Though I do breakfast nearer noon than I dare tell, though I am all the morning driving from door-step to door-step & alas often obliged to mount them & though our big sofa is nightly occupied by some stray member of the corps diplomatique hands arms or legs (when we are not occupying ourselves somebody’s else house,) yet if letter-writing were the Procrustean bed on which my love for you was to be laid out I could surely have pushed aside some of these impertinent obstacles – but -, en verite every month older I grow more irksome does this species of communication become to me. I look very blank over every blank sheet even when sweetly prefaced with “my darling E.” for that summons you too visibly to content me with the shadowy embraces of d’s & ts. Eh bien ‘the long agony is over,’ as the newspapers say, we are actually pulling up stakes & mean to abscond from this witches cauldron either tomorrow or next day – just as the parties are coming thick as Valombosian leaves – just as the weather is becoming fine enough to make one hope for other leaves – so amidst leaves we leave to the utter astonishment of all the good people here who have leisure to be astonished - & somewhat to our own regret which proves that [p. 2] Washington improves on acquaintance for I never coupled that with leaving before. Mary & Robert have pretty much decided to sail for England the beginning of April & as she is anxious to take a decent farewell of her Boston friends as we to have her there – there is no time to lose. I am so excessively sorry (which you may think somewhat selfish) that Tom did not accompany us hither for we have discovered now that we could have lodged him in our wee house & I am sure he would have been amused with the droll specimens of humanity here congregated & might possibly have enjoyed some of the parties & I have missed him sadly. He is now, I fear, on the road & will be much disappointed to find us quitting. I am very well satisfied with the gaiety I have partaken in and if remaining should be indifferent to more, as Parish wisely told us the other night; “never epuiser your pleasures.” so effective & naïf from a man tout ce qu’il y a de blasé! The society is an “ever shifting kaleidoscope” as you say Mrs Major says but tho’ amusing you with odd & striking combinations of North, South, East & West, beside outré-mer colours it is, like that, composed too often of the commonest glass. This is a sort of neutral ground where any & every body can find a passport into society and it is not agreeable to be so totally ignorant of the birth, fortunes & character of half the men who are introduced to you for partners in a quadrille or a waltz or to feel yourself getting as every stranger damsel does here, a sort of watering-place notoriety. And yet there are some very nice people especially in our neighbourhood with whom I regret not having clinched a firmer acquaintance. Robert, tho’ he dislikes W- tolerably feels tonight quite sentimental at the thought [p. 3] of leaving it for aye, but a 3 years residence attaches us insensibly to the very désagremens. This ‘quartier’ is so infinitely preferable to every other that it is like another place to me. I dont feel in spirits exactly to give you a tableau vivant of any of our late gaieties. The most elegant (excuse the Crosbyism) ball I have seen was at Mrs Ogle Tayloe’s where we had that luxury of the Continent a waxed floor which makes the most awkward graceful & saves so much exertion. Mary would not go at the last moment so I had to put myself under Miss Tayloe’s escort which was rather a bore to me. But I slid through many a nice waltz & finaled with a German cotillion & Virginia reel this latter expressly for the good pleasure of certain venerables of the last generation whose souls spiritual & corporal yearned to the joy of their youth Poor Madame d’Arguff’s the Spanish Ministress has to waltz with her husband for lack of cavaliers in this anti-married woman enduring country; even Mary finds a partners few & far between & has to line the wall the with the matrons. I feel quite indignant at this neglect of her & cannot get used to it malgré the double honors I receive in consequence. The 1st Assembly quite rivaled ours in beauty & space, voilà tout for tho’ there were a 1000 candles sparkling in every possible planetary way overhead & making encrusting the standes under & though there were scores of pretty ladies extremely well dressed yet the tout ensemble was as inferior in elegance to our Assemblies as W is to the eastern Athens. At one end of the hall (larger even than Papanti’s) is a high platform with steps & upon this sat the graver matrons with young damsels grouped on the steps below, like houris on the steps of Paradise as Mr Bamey would say – a very pretty effect however. Miss Gales waltzed with Nordin [p. 4 bottom] à ravir both sliding about as harmoniously as substance & shadow. Helen Cobb skipped in her grass-hopper fashion à l’ordinaire to the amazement of the lookers-on who seem to think them very peculiar damsels with their rowdy street costume of short blue cloaks tight to the figure over red gowns & I have to assure every body they are “very nice girls” or I dont know what suspicions might not arise. Miss Lawrence au contraire, dresses very simply & is much admired. Hudson even was warmed into sufficient admiration to be rash enough to call there & if you knew what a penchant he has at parties for the staircase or entry & [p. 4 top] what a horreur of all unmarried young women you would think this as Rob says “a strong measure”. Last night Mrs L, with all her train poured into our small salon & Hülsemann & O’Sullivan & Mr Kemble being already niched there you may recall our last night at Yale Manor for its facsimile. Mr Sam Lawrence is here & I hope will go part way with us. The fascinating John Codman likewise to be admitted at Supreme Court! Jane Macleod counts all the tall women (Mad Pagnot at the head to keep her lengthy-ness in countenance & is au despoir at my desertion. There is a stately Miss Marhsall from Natchez who resembles Charles the 2d beauties in curls & face & was sufficiently conspicuous at the ball in [p. 1 cross] crushed velvet. Miss Forsyth (the Secretary’s daughter is a very pretty girl with a classic profile but there are many so up to the American standard. The Forsyths gave their yearly “high-pressure” ball the night after the Assembly which I made an excuse for staying away. Mary went with Hudson for ½ an hour (Mack having a swollen face) & said the costumes were infinitely ludicrous. There is another Assembly this week beside the Birth-night ball this & 3 or 4 others we magnanimously resign. I look forward with rapture, my darling, to the coming joy of finding myself again in one of your deep arm-chairs or arms without the chair) & resuming the soul & heart talks I find nowhere but there. I dread the tedious journey & wish I could get home on some magic carpet or any most expeditious possible way. I can never muster courage to go through the Sound - & yet what a land journey. Mary thinks of going through Stockbridge but then it is doubtful if the North River is open. Alas that we must go back to winter after these warm balmy days. But those are all I regret leaving. I marvel how I have existed so long without you – now that I turn my face homeward my heart has been never far away I believe. Have you ever read Mansfield Park by your namesake with the difference of an e. It is so good, so true, nat [p. 2 cross] ural, English. We took such a fancy to her style that we have actually had 3 out of the Library to read aloud of evenings & quenched Rogers once by going on as if he were not there. I am sorry the Musical coterie flourishes so lamely like Mr Knome’s walk with a hop, skip & a jump. I shouldn’t think the lungs among them had sufficient vigour to survive with the same éclat as too lengthy-spinning out – but I suppose I shall be just in time for my turn. I wish I were in the vein to write you a decently amusing letter like your last par exemple, but this is one of my dirty-grey days & writing at all is an effort. Hoping to hold you to my heart before many tedious days I remain, with Mary & Mackintoshes best love – yr true & fond
Fan
ADDRESSED: MISS AUSTIN / CARE OF SAML AUSTIN ESQ. / BOSTON. MASS.
POSTMARK: WASHINGTONCITY D.C. / FEB 19

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