From Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin [27 May 1859]

My dear W^m.

I found your letter here, but your father has written since I think. Today is a sharp frost and such a wind. This is some thing like a Malvern colder & bleaker & the same sort of lodging houses straggling up the Mountain a very pretty valley & river down below some thing like Shropshire. We had D^r Smith to see Etty & he only advises a very little dose of water cure viz watering her with a can or a cullender & some gymnastics, however I have no great expectations. Papa is wonderfully well & says he can sit idle all the whole day quite comfortably. His face is dreadfully inflamed & his leg which no doubt is doing him a great deal of good, but he finds it very unpleasant. I have met & got to know a little most of his establishment friends especially Miss Butler who is very nice & cordial. We are to go & dine there some day as any body may go in to dinner by paying. Every body here spends their time in loafing down into the village buying a few odds & ends & up again. I have had something indispensably necessary to buy every day. There was a rather thick ice on the puddles this morning. the boys are very happy & find quite amusement enough in going along the edges of the rocky brooks which are quite charming & today they took a very long walk by themselves   Emily Thorley comes tomorrow which will be a great advantage in keeping off ennui.

You may burn the enclosed letter from Aunt Charlotte. Effie seems quite wonderful. Our visit at Barlaston was very pleasant. Rose conducted charade troupes herself the last two evenings & Mabel acted capitally. We shall certainly stay a month. One is always meeting all ones acquaintance out of doors which is rather tiresome

Good bye my dear old man | yours E. D.

Your father went quite a long walk today. rather too far for his leg I think

Is there a Theodore Shurt M. A of Christ's. I want to know because of a begging letter.