Overjoyed I was to feel myself at home again! our Italians so pleased to see us, Wiedeman’s nurse rushing in, kissing my lips away almost, and seizing on the child, ’Dio mio, come e bellino! the tears pouring down her cheeks, not able to look, for emotion, at the shawl we had brought her from England.  Poor Italians! who can help caring for them, and feeling for them in their utter prostration just now?  The unanimity of despair on all sides is an affecting thing, I can assure you.  There is no mistake here, no possibility of mistake or doubt as to the sentiment of the people towards the actual regime; and if your English newspapers earnestly want to sympathise with an oppressed people, let them speak a little for Tuscany.  The most hopeful word we have heard uttered by the Italians is, ‘Surely it cannot last.’  It is the hope of the agonising.

But our ‘carta di soggiorno’ was sent to us duly.  The government is not over learned in literature, oh no....

And only Robert has seen Mr. Powers yet, for he is in the crisis of removal to a new house and studio, a great improvement on the last, and an excellent sign of prosperity of course.  He is to come to us some evening as soon as he can take breath.  We have had visits from the attaches at the English embassy here, Mr. Wolf, and Mr. Lytton,[16] Sir E. Bulwer Lytton’s son, and I think we shall like the latter, who (a reason for my particular sympathy) is inclined to various sorts of spiritualism, and given to the magic arts.  He told me yesterday that several of the American rapping spirits are imported to Knebworth, to his father’s great satisfaction.  A very young man, as you may suppose, the son is; refined and gentle in manners.  Sir Henry Bulwer is absent from Florence just now.

As to our house, it really looks better to my eyes than it used to look.  Mr. Lytton wondered yesterday how we could think of leaving it, and so do I, almost.  The letting has answered well enough; that is, it has paid all expenses, leaving an advantage to us of a house during six months, at our choice to occupy ourselves or let again.  Also it might have been let for a year (besides other offers), only our agent expecting us in September, and mistaking our intentions generally, refused to do so.  Now I will tell you what our plans are.  We shall stay here till we can let our house.  If we don’t let it we shall continue to occupy it, and put off Rome till the spring, but the probability is that we shall have an offer before the end of December, which will be quite time enough for a Roman winter.  In fact, I hear of a fever at Rome and another at Naples, and would rather, on every account, as far as I am concerned, stay a little longer in Florence.  I can be cautious, you see, upon some points, and Roman fevers frighten me for our little Wiedeman.