An Elopement is Planned

Some time on a Monday morning in the year 1849, in the Limehouse and Poplar region, Henry Smale Bradley refreshed his ink well and reached for his fountain pen to continue his courtship of Maria Robinson. The first page of this letter is as shown below:

The letter once transcribed and continued reveals that the subject on Henry’s mind concerned the planning of an elopement:

My own dearest Maria,

I have not yet heard whether Jane called last night – but hope she will this morning – I hope my beloved you got home quite well and safe last night and that all passed off comfortably at home. 
I am very glad dearest we saw each other last night and it was a source of great comfort to me to hear from your own dulcet lips you would willingly share the ups and downs of this world with your own affectionate Henry – but let me again assure you dearest, you are quite misinformed in supposing for one moment I ever entertained the idea of my mother and sister or any one else but yourself living with us – no one will ever be permitted by me to do so unless first approved and sanctioned by my own sweet wife – and of course, Maria, you will have the whole management of household matters – it will be your province – not mine – mine is in my business – so pray, dearest, do not think any more about that.

I have been thinking dear Maria whether … sufficient for the present…

(Henry seems to have been referring to bedroom furnishing or decoration), and perhaps this led either Maria or Henry to get a little over-excited at this point and to drop candle wax on this section of the letter.)

…as it cost a great deal to furnish the front room as I should wish to furnish it and I cannot very well afford to spare the cash from at present out of Business – let me know my beloved of your own wishes and opinions on this – I will of course abide by your desire.

As regards the time of our marriage dearest, I must leave that to your own opinion, but do let it be as soon as we can… It is my wish dearest Maria that when we are married you should come home to your own house and not to your mother’s – there are many objections to any other course – so we will make up our minds – dearest – that it shall be so. We can be married as soon as you like after Sunday Week – in the meantime, you must manage to get all away you can – we must manage, dearest, this way. Get all you can away, first, then some day – when they are all out, gone to the play or somewhere – fill a trunk – I dare say you have some about. I will have a cart to take them away and return them the trunk at any convenient season – of course my beloved you will leave the same night…. as to the servant, she could only tell her mistress (Harriett Wombwell), when she comes home- and Rose (Rosetta Robinson) with the other youngsters could only do the same – or you might send them out to play in the yard for 5 or 10 minutes… that we should have all the time we should require to take anything you would want away. – Think over these things my dearest…see what things there are you can take and the best way to take them away. I have a great many more better things I want to think about but cannot now – how shall we manage about aunt (Presumably Harriett’s sister, Sophia Wombwell) – shall I break it to her or will you?

- I am continually interrupted while writing these few lines to my beloved – wife, but I know you will excuse all little imperfections… precious little letters… greater joy… (short, indecipherable section). In the meantime, my own dearest, dearest Ria, beloved.. till death… 

Your own affectionate … husband, Henry Bradley.