From W. E. Darwin to Emma Darwin 6 May [1883?]

My dear Mother,

It is a delightful feeling to be in Italy again, the sky and brilliancy are so glowing I have not stayed any tim since 1870, though I fancy I wondered along with Geo. some time since that.

The sleeping car is a [illeg] capital plan, Sara has come thro to Milan, a journey of 22 hours, only at the cost of a bad headache yesterday & being languid today; tomorrow she will be pretty right. Though she will be not equal to the Certosa where B. & L are going tomorrow.

S. enjoyed her sight of the Crafts very much, but it increased the fatigue & difficulty for each being $\frac{1}{2}$ hour distant, & I am sorry now that S. did not got staying there & leave at the [Hotel.]

B. has told you about Paris & our plays which were failures on the whole— I shall never be able to follow a smart rattling french dialogue, I could only think of Polly's talking or the chattering of a lot of birds together. The Salon was miserable far worse than our Academy, and altogether the less of Paris for me the better.

We shall stay here 4 or 5 days, and I shall make an excursion or two; there are delightful public gardens close to the Hotel where S. can sit & watch the babies & ducks & birds in a large aviary, so I shall not mind leaving her— It is a good Idea of B. to go at once to Florence & catch us at the lakes. You have begun your travels now and are at Hen's— please give her my love. It must have been a pain, leaving the garden at the grove just now. I am sorry you mean to go through with L. H. P. alone— Goodnight dear Mother. S is gone to bed & sends her best love

Your affect son W. E D

I find my smattering of Italian very useful