From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield [24 August 1873]

My dearest Body

I should think you had got my letters by this time. A longish one I wrote from Southampton to Down; & concluded it was sent to you at Villar & a shorter one to Neuchatel. I am glad u are got to yr haven of rest, & so now you have to be prudent & not do as much as you feel u could. Dr Hooker and Gen. Strachey came [symbol for yesterday] not together as Gen. S. missed his train, but luckily found a fly & arrived at 8. (not that we waited dinner for him) He is a clever man & pleasant, but has no flow & when F. set him on India he did not follow it up. Horace gave Dr H. Misunderstood for his night study, but he could not endure it, not fron deep feeling tho' as I made out. It is a most lovely day. Poor G. is very uncomf. & constantly bilious, but he has gained flesh & he has considerable vigour for riding & walking. Dr C. has relaxed his diet a little and lets him have Cocoa for breakfast—

He is in such a rapture to all the Balfours that I think the liking must have been reciprocal & trust he did not stay too long— He also liked his visit at Barlaston & spoke most warmly about Godfrey— who is coming w. Amy and Cecil to At Eliz. in a few days. Leo. went to Barl. for the Sat & Sunday in his uniform to Cecil's great interest, as he stared gravely at him all evg. Hensleigh & F. are down below & I am going down presently to see them. I have not asked them to dinner being too many & Ch. L. spoils a dinner a good deal, but I shall ask him to coffee as he knows Sir E Strachey at Bournemouth & is so au fait in all military matters. I am just returned from a pleasant sit w. At F. down below. Uncle H. not well or come. She looks so well & cheerful & Ef. tells me she walked to Wotton church & back without being tired.

Henrietta Erskine is just dead, which stops Ida going to the music meeting—a gt diappointment as it was planned chiefly for her. Aunt Rich seems the bugbear & I sh^d have tho^t she w^d have been as m. annoyed at Fanny going, as a $\frac{1}{2}$ sister is nearly as near as a whole Aunt. Mrs R. is too troublesome  Fanny has found beautiful lodgings in Q. A. St. for her, but she will not go to them because there is a brass plate on the door. She is so selfish too not to consider Fanny's covenience as the first object. She leaves Chandos because her maid has too small a room. Effie tells me they have coerced T. H. to write a mock charming, flattering letter to Schau, to ask her to give lessons to Ida in her own lodging (w. w^d take off all risk of too m. influence) & F. tells me Schau has agreed but there is a $\frac{1}{2}$ engagement of hers in the way— I have just been reading such an agreeable letter from Snow from Woodfield written in a headache. The place seems the abode of sadness & poor W. J. not at all better. There are now fears for Arthur's eyesight! That nasty Emma took the children in the boat on a visit w. her to Pembroke (that was all right) but she did not bring them back for an hour after dark & u may imagine poor Harry's state of mind — At last he & W^m went down to the shore —

Yours my dear | E. D.

Bessy wrote to you yesterday.