From Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin 15 June [1884]

My dear George

I was rejoiced to receive your news of the Tel. It w^d make you start on y^r voyage in a very different frame of mind— This mg (Sunday) I got your card from Queenstown dated Friday— What luck it was for M^rs Jebb to set out in such good weather, it might I sh^d hope make her bear the whole voyage better. Sara & Co came on Thursday, & were a great help to us in our lawn party which owing to the lovely weather did very well— We had about 80 people; & by means of pretending to know every body & never mentioning names (except on one occasion when I disagraced myself) I got on very well. By $\frac{1}{2}$ past 6 they were all gone & I felt just as I do when a school feast is over— Theo & Sally seemed to have been m. amused w. the R. S. soirée, Sally is very pretty & engaging & enjoys every thing & on Friday they had a regular typical Cambridge day lunch w. young Clough—tea w M^r Jenkinson garden party—& ending w. A. D. C. wh. was but bad acting. M^r Norton does not take his degree till Thursday, & tomorrow they all move out to lodgings in King's Parade— W^m came yesterday & took them (Sara also on the river) I had a comical visit from the Master of Emmanuel, a very prim man, & quite overwhelmed with the thoughts of what he sh^d do in honour of Miss Norton. He had only one small spare room "hardly as large as an American Lady's box"— I tried to set his mind a rest & told him of her two Aunts &c. Bernard has developed a love of sport in a mild form—viz. standing over the little pond at the end of the field, whipping it with a stick & string in hopes of catching a newt— After about an hour he gave up that as hopeless & took a basket & brought home in triumph a very disgusting looking sick frog—which he carried back & then succeeded in catching a pretty little newt—wh. he also returned

F. & Ellen are at M^r Pryor till Tuesday, & then Frank goes to Germany for a week—& then all to Aberdovey—

Bessy & I to L. H. P. on Tuesday & to Down on Monday the 23^rd— I don't think you told me what to do w. your letters & parcels— I have a good many—including a present from Lord Rayleigh—(plate—small articles I believe) Did you get Dew Smith's greeting at Queenstown— He wanted to write you a Goodbye—

Theodora takes the world lightly—& is very pleasant. I sh^d at last be a little tired of her never being in earnest— She & Arthur Clough examined each other "He asked Who is Blaine"—& also did not know the capital of Mass— on the other hand she did not know what county Birmingham was in—wh. I am not sure of, it is so near the borders of Staff & Warwick.

This place & the garden is looking so pretty I wish we may not find Down a little naked—

Lady Lubbock's Uncle a M^r Lane Fox is gone to Thibet to study under a sort of magician Buddhist— A Satellite of his a dark man came down w. Sally on Tuesday, & when she found she sh^d be alone w. him she took up her goods & fled into another carriage— I believe he came to the Phychical Soc. here— Please give my best love to Maude— I am longing to know what is settled—

yours my dear George   E. Darwin