From Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin 23 July [1884]

My dear George

I rec^d your Erie letter of July 9—& I rejoice to think that your marriage took place yesterday, & a very pleasant way of being married it sounds— Sara has heard much about you from her people— I am surprized that you find Erie so cool— Bernard & I shall be alone today, as Bessy & B. & Leonard are going to London on various larks for the day— We had the Wrights to dinner on Sat. They are both v. nice but he does not set the table in a roar— He is very proud of his pretty little boy & brought him to shew me— only 11 months & climbs upstairs without help— Leo. goodnaturedly teaches Bernard lawn tennis, & it is good for an only child to learn games— He is quite fond of unpleasant little G. Tomkins, & the 2 boys pushed me twice round the sand walk, I doing the guiding. Mr Wright is coming to play L. T. with Leo on Thursday, but Leo is such a swell now, he thinks it will not be much fun—

Sir John called & was pleasant . He had grown v. intimate w. Lady Salisbury at S^t Rafael & liked her v. m. He thought that Lord Salisbury's action now was rash; but that he & Sir J. Northcote, thought it was now or never to get in; as otherwise there wd be 6 or 7 y^rs of Liberal Gov—& they w^d be grown old. I send a sample of your letters, wh. have been forwarded from Cam.   the rest look quite as dull— Horace is staying a week by himself at Malvern, very impatient to get home to Rasmus. I am afraid it has not done him much good— Now there are 5 M^rs D's besides myself I think of enlarging the drawing r. at the Grove—wh. Hen. has lamented all along that we did not do at once—

My best love to my daughter Maud   yours my dear old man | E. Darwin

Your ink is grown nearly invisible— I suspect you keep watering it.