17 March 1828. Browning, Elizabeth Barrett to Moulton & Mary Trepsack, Elizabeth.

              Hope End,

March 17th 1828.

My beloved Granny & Trippy,

Why dont we hear from you?– If you could guess (& I think you almost might) how very anxious we are about the health of one so very dear, I am sure you would let us have a few lines without delay. I do think that if my own Granny were not so well, we should certainly hear—but “no news is good news” is a sorry motto for anxious hearts to lean upon! Therefore dont let us hope for good news,—let us be sure of them.

I have a long & most romantic story to tell you; & before I enter upon it, Trippy will probably guess the name of its hero––Mr Boyd!. Last Thursday, James [Trant] proposed driving us to Malvern in the Phaeton, for the purpose of paying a visit to Mrs Trant. Within a hundred yards of her house we met & passed a lady & gentleman—& Henrietta & Arabel, who had seen him before, exclaimed to me … “Mr Boyd.”!! My first impulse was to stop the carriage—but my courage gave way! I could not introduce myself then! We accordingly went on, & meeting Mrs Trant in the garden, she told me that Lady Knowles, her neighbour, was on the point of setting out for Hope End. Mama had not been quite so well as usual that morning,—so I hurried into Sir Charles Knowles’s, to intercept our visitors & to beg them to defer their drive our way, to another time. On our return home I was good deal laughed at, on account of my being uncomfortable about the morning’s meeting– “How could he know it was you”? said Papa—“& if he did, how could he dream of your introducing yourself to him in the public road?” I persisted in believing that Mr Boyd would find out who I was, & that he wd mention the circumstance in his next