Oh no; the sea was necessary from Genoa.  The expense of the journey would have been very much increased if we had taken the whole way by land, and it was a great thing to escape that rough Gulf of Lyons.  The journey to Rome will be rendered easy to Robert’s pocket by the extraordinary chance of Mr. Eckley’s empty carriage, otherwise the repeated pulls might have pulled us down too low.

Peni will write to you.  He loves his nonno and you very much—­tell nonno; and my love goes with my message.

May God bless both of you!  Love to M. Milsand.

Your affectionate
BA.

* * * * *

Robert Browning to Miss Browning

Rome, 43 Bocca di Leone: 
Friday, November 26, 1858 [postmark].

Dearest Sis,—­You received a letter written last thing on Wednesday, 18th.  We started next day with perfectly fine mild weather and every sort of comfort, and got to our first night’s stage, Poggio Bagnoli, with great ease; with the same advantages next day, we passed Arezzo and reached Camuscia, and on Saturday slept at Perugia, having found the journey delightful.  Sunday was rainy, but just as mild, so Ba did not suffer at all; we slept at Spoleto.  Rain again on Monday.  We reached Terni early in the day in order to go to the Falls, but the thing was impossible for Ba.  Eckley, his mother-in-law, and I went, however, getting drenched, but they were fine, the rain and melted snow having increased the waters extraordinarily.  On Tuesday we had fine weather again to Civita Castellana; there we found that on the previous day, while we were staying at Terni, a carriage was stopped and robbed in the road we otherwise should have pursued.  They said such a thing had not happened for years.  On Wednesday afternoon, four o’clock, we reached Rome, with beautiful weather; so it had been for some four out of our seven days.  Ba bore the journey irregularly well; of course she has thus had a week of open air, beside the change, which always benefits her.  We always had the windows of the carriage open.  We passed Wednesday night at an hotel in order to profit by any information friends might be able to furnish, but we ended by returning to the rooms here we occupied before, of which we knew the virtues—­a blaze of sun on the front rooms—­and absolute healthiness.  Rents are enormous; we pay only ten dollars a month more than before, in consideration of the desire the old landlady had to get us again.  To anybody else the price would have been 20 more—­60 in all—­for which we are to pay 40.  The Eckleys took good rooms and pay 1,000 (L210 or 15) for six months!  One can’t do that.  The best is that they have thoroughly cleaned and painted the place, and everything is very satisfactorily arranged.  We take the apartment for four months, meaning to be at liberty to go to Naples if we like.  We have no fire this morning while I write, but it is before breakfast and Ba may like the sight of one,