From Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin 17 March [1887]

My dear George

I got your letter yesterday from Cam. I am glad you are going to stay at S^t Jean de Luz. It sounds so unlike other places.

We came here on a bright frosty day (Monday) & found the train much warmer than the house. However by dint of wrapping up we did not catch cold & on Tuesday Hen. & Dickson pasted & shut up windows (we had 4 in the sitting room) & we made ourselves warm in there v. comf. lodgings.

We are quite at the West End just at the back of a Martello tower & very quiet. I have not been out of doors yet; but I feel the better for coming & leaving bothers behind tho' poor Jackson followed me w. a letter entreating for another trial. I should not have agreed any how; but it was too late as I had engaged a man (provisionally) who seems promising. I believe w. his 2 cardinal virtues of sobriety & honesty, that he will get a situation, tho' not so good a one—- Poor M^rs J. takes it dreadfully to heart—

Hen. has been out seeing some cousins of R's. a navy officer & his wife, by name Ommarey—

R. came down on Tuesday bringing an account of the wonderful darkness in London. It was like a cloud of fog high up in the air & every thing quite dark— It was sun shiny here w. slight snow   Gwen paid me her usual visit— She likes the old Peter Parley book which is not coloured, & the pictures v. small, better than any other & frowns over them most intently. I tried hard to persuade her to touch the point of a pin; but she was quite firm, & drew in her breath to shew how it w^d hurt, Elinor Dicey is at Cannes to be near Miss Anne Shaen, & poor Godfrey J— who is very ill & miserably dejected.

The earthquake really did Elinor good, as she exerted herself to do all she could to help— The Michael Fosters have a scheme of taking M^r Coutts Trotter abroad, if he is well enough—& in that case Horace & Ida w^d join the party— All the children are gone or going to Abinger. I am knitting a p^r of warm shoes for Gwen, if she is to run about in the nursery.

My best love to Maud— | yours my dear George— | E. D.

Monday night was said to be the coldest night this year & the Snow deep in the West & North.