From Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin 4 February 1880

My dear W^m.

F. got so anxious to get his answer to Butler's attack off his mind that he sent John up w. it to R. & Hen. for their apporval. They sent it down again with 2 very sensible letters from R. & Hen warmly dissuading him from taking any notice. Their arguments were so good that I (& F) quite changed our opinions. You shall see these letters if you like—

F. has ended by referring the matter to Huxley, & he will be glad if he decides against publishing an answer—

Meanwhile Dallas wants to answer the attack & I have no doubt Krause will also, so Butler will be in the atmosphere of hot water which will be his delight.

We have been poorly w. colds & maids sick too—but the weather is so pleasant I long to go out— Fr. is now better but has been v. miserable since his unlucky lecture— They had a School Committee to consider if they cd smooth down Mr Ff—& they did concoct a letter to him, but coldly expressed & I don't suppose it will do anything; but as they put themselves in the wrong it was better to take some step. Sara did not send us Mr Lowell's pleasant letter; perhaps you will bring it. I saw a pleasant letter from C. Langton shewing how m. he liked yr visit & in a rapture with Sara altogether; but especially her niceness about the children. I suppose he did not tell you of Lena & her troupe consisting of Miss Brander & Miss Barker & brother & her sister Alice (quite against her father's wish) have been going about to the neighbouring towns acting plays & giving the proceeds over the expenses to the local charities. He thinks she has given up her plan of taking the children abroad, as she has spent her money on building a coach house & theatre or ball room over it. It is 10,000 mercies that she has no taste for flirtation or she wd have quite lost her respectability.

Here is G. acct of Davos— (I send it 1^st to Hen.) & Huxley quite against answering to F's gt joy—my best love to S—

Margaret Shaen give such a nice acct of a visit to Mr & Mrs Orris at Cam— They do sound happy—

[Enclosure]

My dear Darwin

I read Butler's letter & yr draft & Litchfield's letter last night; slept over them, & after lecturing about Dog-fish & Chimoero+e (subjects which have a distinct appropriateness to Butler) I have read them again, & I say without the least hesitation, burn your draft & take no notice whatever of Mr Butler until the next edition of your book comes out, when the briefest possible note explanatory of the circumstance—will be all that is necessary—

Litchfield ought hereafter to be called the ""judicious"" as Hooker was (I don't mean Sir Joe but the divine)  To my mind nothing can be sounder than his advice ....

But don't you worry about these things. Recollect what old Goethe said bout his Mivarts & Butlers ""Hat doch der Wallfisch seine Laus, muss auch die meine haben""—