From Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin 8 February [1884]

My dear George

You were certainly rec^d en Prince. Somehow I am surprized to hear that Tunis is so beautiful. I shall be glad to hear that you are safe away from those smells & noises wh. are a g^t drawback—

Bessy is going to write, so I will leave our small annals to her— I go poking about in the Bath chair & find I can stay out of doors m. longer in that way— the weather keeps charming & Bernard takes a bit to gardening—planting primroses under the beech tree— We are making the new walk by the rails & I think Bourne works as fast as the wicked Duguid. Bessy finds Leslie Stephens's lectures pleasant & amusing now he is become more at ease— Hen. has been attending a lecture of Ruskin's in wh. he introduced his Coniston crazy notions of the changed & wicked behaviour of the weather   Hen. said it was painful to hear. I have been interested & amused by Galton's book. I feel as if he had too many irons in the fire leading apparently to nothing e.g. the composite photos—& the things people see w. their eyes shut— However that is the way things are found out— Hen. says the poor L. girls came & spent the evg. & played & sang w. cheerfulness—

Bernard spent the day w. the Jacksons & M^rs J. told me last night (I went to 66 to hear M^r Rowe) that he & little Arthur literally spent their whole time in thumping & towsling each other—wh. was what she wished— It was so fine they were in the garden most of the time. We ladies heard the gents in the study with such roars of laughter wh. they say is always the case when M^r Lyttelton & Jackson meet. It sounded like a banquet behind the scenes—

Mr Jackson is full of Miss Burneys novels wh. he only has lately read

yours my dear | E Darwin