a
letter to the 'Spectator', dated January 30, 1869, and signed J. S. K.

'Mr. Robert Browning tells me that when he was in Florence some years
since, an Italian nobleman (a Count Ginnasi of Ravenna), visiting at
Florence, was brought to his house without previous introduction, by
an intimate friend. The Count professed to have great mesmeric and
clairvoyant faculties, and declared, in reply to Mr. Browning's avowed
scepticism, that he would undertake to convince him somehow or other of
his powers. He then asked Mr. Browning whether he had anything about him
then and there, which he could hand to him, and which was in any way
a relic or memento. This Mr. Browning thought was perhaps because he
habitually wore no sort of trinket or ornament, not even a watchguard,
and might therefore turn out to be a safe challenge. But it so happened
that, by a curious accident, he was then wearing under his coat-sleeves
some gold wrist-studs which he had quite recently taken into wear, in
the absence (by mistake of a sempstress) of his ordinary wrist-buttons.
He had never before worn them in Florence or elsewhere, and had found
them in some old drawer where they had lain forgotten for years. One of
these studs he took out and handed to the Count, who held it in his hand
a while, looking earnestly in Mr. Browning's face, and then he said,
as if much impressed, "C'equalche cosa che mi grida nell' orecchio
'Uccisione! uccisione!'" ("There is something here which cries out in my
ear, 'Murder! murder!'")

'"And truly," says Mr. Browning, "those very studs were taken from
the dead body of a great uncle of mine who was violently killed on his
estate in St. Kitt's, nearly eighty years ago. . . . The occurrence of
my great uncle's murder was known only to myself of all men in Florence,
as certainly was also my possession of the studs."'

A letter from the poet, of July 21, 1883, affirms that the account is
correct in every particular, adding, 'My own explanation of the matter
has been that the shrewd Italian felt his way by the involuntary help
of my own eyes and face.' The story has been reprinted in the Reports of
the Psychical Society.

A pleasant piece of news came to brighten the January of 1858. Mr. Fox
was returned for Oldham, and at once wrote to announce the fact. He
was answered in a joint letter from Mr. and Mrs. Browning, interesting
throughout, but of which only the second part is quite suited for
present insertion.

Mrs