From Horace Darwin to Emma Darwin [1879–80?]

Dear Mother,

I will begin with what we are going to do. Tomorrow I go to Scotland to see how things are going on, and I shall be home on Friday night, will you please tell Lastell that I shall be there on Sat. I telegraphed to you today, as I was afraid something might have gone wrong owing to this rain, but I have not received an answer so it must have missed somehow. I think as I am nearly half way I had better go on to Scotland, & get that done. Lenny is hard at work developing the dry plates that he took at Elston, & one I have just seen he thinks good, he had only developed two when I left him. He is going over to Cleatham again tomorrow, & he does not know where he is going to sleep. We got to Lincoln all right, & met Monteagle at the station, he had left Stoke, Sir H Bromley house where he was staying, & was coming to stay with the Dean of Lincoln. In the evening after we had arrived we took a stroke and got wet, had a good dinner & went to bed. The next morning we found an invitation to lunch at the Deanery, which we did, after wandering about most of the morning & hearing the anthem from the nave. Lady M was there, & they were going back to Ireland on Tuesday. One of the Deacons sons Blakesley by name works for Mr Easton so we talked about that. After lunch Monteagle Pouter & I took a walk & then sat in the nave & heard a very fine Anthem, & then went back to the Deanery & two of the daughters took the Monteagles & use two all over the cathedral even the stone roof & up the tower & round the trifolium, & we had a good time, & that filled up Sunday well. It was rather a nasty day.

We have had a hard day today & I am very tired so I will stop for the present & go on with our doings tomorrow. I hope the work is all right at home

Your affec son | Horace Darwin