From Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin [8 May 1860]

My dear William

I believe coming to you at a quiet, including Sunday at King's is what will suit us best, at any rate we must give up all thoughts of it at present as Etty keeps very unwell with a sort of low remittent fever which is not at all alarming but very tedious & lowering to her.. We should have put off all our company if we had known how unwell she wd be but thy amused each other & Charley P. went with them to Elijah as I had a headache

The loss of Clara Novello made it not near so charming as the Messiah, & they all hated M^lle Paressa in her green gown. Minny looked like a rose bud & was very happy wandering with all the children & Eva, after cowslips & primroses of which she carried off a basketful. Eva staid till Monday Ro^bt M. coming for her on Sat. & staying till Monday which was rather serious but we made no ceremony with him. Ellen T. Minny & Charley. went on Sat. M^r & M^rs F. Parker come to town on the 12^th. She is quite a beauty Charley says & taller than Mary P. Etty wonders what made her marry such a dull fat man. Etty's appetite is very bad & she dislikes almost every thing she eats. Mr Williams thinks the fever may go n for another week but I think it was decidedly less yesterday. We have moved her into my room as being more airy & comfortable.

Goodbye my dear old man. It seems Prof. Henslow is in Cambridge. Do you attend his lectures. I think it w^d be pretty of you to call on him. Sedgwick he says is going to lecture against your fathers views. I am glad to see that the Saturday Review cuts up Owen's review.

Yours E. D.

We don't know who wrote it.