From Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin [4 July 1888]

My dear William

The last day of our pleasant guests went off well; they liked their call on M^rs Norman, who shewed the house & lawn— I was surprized to hear of that sweet mannered woman scolding her butler so sharply for an open window, in this furious storm which came on while they were there covering the lawn w. pools of water. But perhaps her scolding was not quite in earnest as she told the butler to pass it on sharply. A pretty window cushion was wet.

M^rs Sedgwick is very pleasant from her openness & kindness, & spirit of enjoyment.

I hope it has been all smooth w. the children. She is very full of schemes of education & what she shall make her daughters–which shews how young she is & how little aware that daughters will make themselves almost entirely. A v. prosperous letter from Horace–- He & Ida had an exped. of 12 hours down towards Chamouny to see the glaciers des Bossons. They had 4 meals on the way & a 5^th as soon as they came back—

It is a comfortable proof of how well he is. He does not trouble himself with any description (except of the meals) except saying of the glacier, "very find, he has a white jagged crest of ice pinnacle sticking high up in the air; he is full of cracks with the nice blue look in them; he is very clean wh. is more than can be said of the others. There was a tunnel driven into the ice—up—was amusing to enter— by green tikets of one f. each"—

I have had 2 such cordial letters from the March–Caldwells. Georgina who puzzled me by signing A. quite plainly is the one you will see— Louisa the eldest speaks with such warmth of her journey w. Aunt Eliz. & of her kindness to Aix wh. was the turning point in restoring her health—

They are in hopes that poor Swinton Isaacs sufferings will soon be over— he takes nothing but milk—Amy (Crofton that was) has orders to leave him for 1 hr a day, wh– I sh^d think not nearly enough) & she never does more.

I have so gloated over the sunshine these 2 days. The hay is to be cut today— It felt quite odd to see the stars at night—

Yours my dear W^m w. love to Sara.

Dicky was caught in a noose in the hedge of the sand walk luckily v. near me, or he w^d have been strangled In 2 minutes he was in another, but stood quite still for me to realese him. We found 8 more in the hedge I feel v. blood thirdty about poachers—