Will he not?

And never, never for a moment (I quite forgot to tell you) did I fancy
that you were talking at _me_ in the temper-observations--never. It
was the most unprovoked egotism, all that I told you of my temper; for
certainly I never suspected you of asking questions so. I was simply
amused a little by what you said, and thought to myself (if you _will_
know my thoughts on that serious subject) that you had probably lived
among very good-tempered persons, to hold such an opinion about the
innocuousness of ill-temper. It was all I thought, indeed. Now to
fancy that I was capable of suspecting you of such a manoeuvre! Why
you would have _asked_ me directly;--if you had wished 'curiously to
enquire.'

An excellent solemn chiming, the passage from Dante makes with your
'Sordello,' and the 'Sordello' _deserves_ the labour which it needs,
to make it appear the great work it is. I think that the principle of
association is too subtly in movement throughout it--so that _while_
you are going straight forward you go at the same time round and
round, until the progress involved in the motion is lost sight of by
the lookers on. Or did I tell you that before?

You have heard, I suppose, how Dickens's 'Cricket' sells by nineteen
thousand copies at a time, though he takes Michael Angelo to be 'a
humbug'--or for 'though' read 'because.' Tell me of Mr. Kenyon's
dinner and Moxon?

Is not this an infinite letter? I shall hear from you, I hope.... I
_ask_ you to let me hear soon. I write all sorts of things to you,
rightly and wrongly perhaps; when wrongly forgive it. I think of you
always. May God bless you. 'Love me for ever,' as

Your

_Ba_

_R.B. to E.B.B._

25th Dec. [1845.]

My dear Christmas gift of a letter! I will write back a few lines,
(all I can, having to go out now)--just that I may forever,--certainly
during our mortal 'forever'--mix my love for you, and, as you suffer
me to say, your love for me ... dearest! ... these shall be mixed with
the other loves of the day and live therein--as I write, and trust,
and know--forever! While I live I will remember what was my feeling in
reading, and in writing, and in stopping from either ... as I have
just done ... to kiss you and bless you with my whole heart.--Yes,
yes, bless you, my own!

All is right, all of y