3 Bolton St. W.
Feb. 29th， 1884
Dearest Sister，
I seem to myself to be constantly letting longer intervals elapse① between my letters to you， but I suppose that is inevitable in a prolonged correspondence. I will try and not let silence get too much ahead of speech. I wrote you last just after I had gone over to Paris， from which place I returned， after a stay of some three weeks， two days ago.
I am very glad to relapse② into Bolton Street as I always am， after any absence， however pleasant， and I say this without detriment to Paris， which， for short periods， is always charming to me. Nothing very particular happened to me there， but I saw my old friends and the new plays and had some excellent food. I greatly missed Turgenieff， but I saw the Princess Our Oussoff， whom I used to see a great deal of old， and who is a most clever and curious woman， and she told me various things about the last year of his life.
I am much horrified to learn that since his death Mme Viardot complains of him—of his having impoverished③ them， whereas he ruined himself for her and her children. But these are odious discussions. While I was in Paris I heard from Aunt Kate of your intending to go on to N. Y. to try an electrician， and therefore suppose that you have achieved it and that you even no ware lodged behind some brownstone front of your native city. This sounds to me like a big attempt， and I hope it will be a big success. The drama of your separation from Katharine is well over now， I suppose， and I will not indulge in vain conjectures as to how you bear your bereavement④. I pray that whatever it may be， it is at least not worse than you—or she—supposed.
I am writing her a word of greeting， here， through the Barings， and she probably will send me a line—describing you， as she left you—when she arrives in Italy. We are having the first cold of the winter and Mrs. Duncan Stewart is dead. But the cold is bright and wholesome and Mrs. Stewart had become a kind of talking melancholy⑤ ghost. She was a charming old being， however， and I hall miss her much. Someday I shall put her into a book.
I have already seen Mrs. Kemble and find her constantly a little more and a little more broken and， as it were， indented. I shall never put her into a book. Salvini made his first appearance here， last night， in Othello， and I went to see him， but to my surprise and distress he gave all the climax of the play much less finely than when I saw him a year ago in Boston， and I was proportionately taken aback， having puffed him so to some of my friends who were there. It was as if he had toned it down and weakened it deliberately， and I don’t understand the mystery. I shall try and see him， and inquire.
A note just comes in from William， accompanying⑥ some papers for me to sign in which he speaks definitely of your going to N. Y. on the 14th. I hope Mary will be an efficient（and effective） soubrette.
I don’t think I have any news that will interest you. Miss Motley（a supposedly hopeless old maid， plain and not moneyed）is to marry Colonel Mildmay. There is a sign of cheer for you—having the advantages that she lacks. Mrs. Lombard was still seriously ill when I left Paris， and I took upon myself to write to her son. She ought to come home unless she has some one with her more powerful than Fanny.
I hear every now and then from Carrie， but it is difficult to write to her， for want of topics. But I do what I can. I shall send this to Aunt Kate to give you. Bob’s quietude seems almost too good to be true. Ever your affectionate.
Henry
① elapsev. (时间)过去，消逝
② relapsev. 重新陷入，故态复萌
③ impoverishv. 使贫穷，使赤贫
④ bereavementn. 丧亲，丧友
⑤ melancholyadj. 忧郁的，郁闷的
⑥ accompanyv. 陪同，伴随
亨利·詹姆斯致姐姐
亲爱的姐姐：
我似乎总是隔很长一段时间才给你写信，但我想在长期的通信联系中这是不可避免的。我想方设法尽快打破这种沉静的局面。上封信就是在我刚去巴黎时写的，我在巴黎呆了约三个星期后于两天前返回。
像往常一样，无论别离后的日子多么愉快，返回波顿大街总是让我禁不住高兴不已，我说这些丝毫无损于巴黎，因为在巴黎短时间的逗留对我来说总是很美好的。这次在巴黎我没有遇到什么特别的事，不过见了几个老朋友，看了几出新剧，吃了些可口的食品。我再也见不到特金涅夫了，但我见到了欧罗索夫王妃，过去我常常见到她，她是一位极聪明而又富有传奇色彩的女性，并且她还告诉了我许多有关特金涅夫临终那一年的生活琐事。
我很难过地得知，自他死后维尔多特太太（他的妻子）就开始抱怨他——抱怨他无能而使他的家人陷入贫困，要知道他是为了她和她的孩子才毁了自己。这些都是令人讨厌的争论。我在巴黎时，从凯特婶婶那里得知你还想到纽约去尝试做电工，想必现在已如愿以偿了，甚至正跻身于家乡的上层名流之列。这在我看来是一次大胆的尝试，希望它会是一个巨大的成功。我想你与凯瑟琳分离的悲剧至此应该结束了，我不会沉溺于徒劳的猜测——你会怎样承受丧亲之痛。我祈祷，无论情况如何，实际情况至少不会比你或她所想象的还要糟。
在此，我通过巴因斯一家转达了对她的问候，她到达意大利时，可能会给我回一封信——告知她离开你时有关你的情况。我们正在经历冬天的第一次寒潮，邓肯·斯图尔特太太死了。但寒潮清心且有益于健康，斯图尔特太太已成为人们悲哀地谈论的阴间的人了，她是一位可爱的老人，我会很怀念她的。总有一天我会把她写入书中。
我见到了肯布尔太太，发现她正日益陷入绝望之中，似乎已精神崩溃。我决不会把她写进书中。萨尔维尼昨晚在《奥塞罗》剧中首次露面，我去看了他的演出。但出乎我意料且令我沮丧的是，他在剧中的高潮部分的表现远不如我一年前在波士顿见到的那样令人满意，我也感到很吃惊，因为我曾向我在巴黎的那些朋友吹过他。他似乎有意降低并减弱了调子，我不理解其原由。我会设法见他并询问此事。
我刚收到威廉的一张便条和一些要我签字的文件，威廉在便条中肯定地说你将于14日去纽约。我希望玛丽是一个能干踏实的女佣。
我想也没有什么消息会使你感兴趣。莫特利小姐（一个人们认为无望的清贫的老女佣）准备嫁给迈尔德梅陆军上校。对你而言这是一个令人兴奋的好兆头——她无论如何也不能跟你比。隆巴德太太在我离开巴黎时仍然病得很重，我主动给她儿子写了信。她应该回家，除非有比范妮更能起作用的人照顾她。
我时常收到卡丽的信，但很难给她回信，因没有什么话题可谈，不过我会尽力而为。我将把这封信寄给凯特婶婶再转给你。鲍勃的过于平静简直令人难以置信。
永远爱你的，
亨利
于波顿第三西大街
1884年2月29日
