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Franz Hueffer who came into the Rossetti circle in the manner indicatedin the following letter (of which the greater part is in the writing ofthe late Lucy Rossetti - daughter of Ford Madox Brown) was abroad-headed, plodding, able German who wrote and spoke Englishperfectly enough before his naturalization. He was somewhat heavy in hisenthusiasms; and Gabriel Rossetti laughed at him a good deal. On oneoccasion D.G.R. let off the following "nursery rhyme":—
There's a fluffy-haired German called Huffer
A loud and pragmatical duffer:
To stand on a tower
And shout "Schopenhauer"
Is reckoned his mission by Huffer.
There was no malice in these rhymes of Rossetti's; but even his dearfriend Morris ("Topsy" as his intimates called him on account of hisshock of black hair) was not exempt from personal sallies of thekind,—as this, when M. got alarmed about his increasing bulk:—
There was a young person called Topsy
Who fancied he suffered from dropsy;
He shook like a jelly,
Till the Doctor cried "Belly!"—
Which angered; but comforted Topsy.
Poor dear Morris! he had cause enough for alarm. Diabetes was only oneamong the agencies by which his stalwart frame was disintegrated at theage of 62.
H.B.F.
7 November 1897.
May 27th/89
5 ENDSLEIGH GARDENS.
N.W.
Dear Forman,
Please excuse a very laconic presentment of the facts. Francis Hueffer,Musical Critic of the "Times", author of the libretto of "Columba" of avolume on the "Troubadours" of "Half a century of Music in England" etcetc, died last Jan 7 aged 43 leaving a widow & three children, & littleindeed.