1826-1827] Sismondi's Affection for his Nieces 191 



/ 

 Madame Sismondi to her sister Mrs Josiah Wedgwood. 



GENEVA, 27 Jan. [1827]. 



What a dear letter I have left so long unnoticed, my 

 beloved Bessy ! Do not think from that, that I have been 

 insensible to its merit, or have loved one bit less its dear 

 writer; on the contrary my love for you burns daily and 

 never sleeps but when I sleep myself, and not always then, 

 for I dream much of you. It burns daily by means of 

 your two children, who are a delight to me every instant 

 of the day; otherwise I do not know that you would have 

 more than your share, but I cannot help your being upper- 

 most when I hourly feel the benefit of your love and confi- 

 dence. 



We are all gay and happy, and Sismondi far from being 

 the least BO. He loves Emma and Fanny and enters into 

 all their little interests of vanity with greater warmth 

 than I do, because he does not understand as well as I do 

 how completely without vanity they are. If they are not 

 immediately taken out to dance he swears, and can hardly 

 stay in the room. If they dance he can look on unwearied, 

 and support all the ennui of a ball-room, which he never 

 could bear since he had himself left off dancing. They 

 surpass even my hopes of giving him pleasure; he enjoys 

 every moment at home, and has a greater interest when we 

 go out. He thinks them very pretty, and will tell them so, 

 in spite of all my in junctions and threats that I will tell 

 you. They do not however seem to give him the least 

 credit, and the other day Emma laughed in his face when 

 he said on occasion of our admiring the beauty of Emma 

 Pictet that he would not give one of his own little Emma 

 Wedgwood for ten Emma Pictets. He admires Fanny 

 very much, and as he never hides anything he feels, he 

 tells her he thinks her very pretty will this do her any 

 harm, think you ? None at all I believe, for they will not 

 believe themselves a bit more good-looking because he calls 

 them jolie. 



