From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield [19 January 1875]

My dearest H.—

It is very charming of Hooker & Huxley caring so m. about F. & G. F. has written a letter to Hooker enclosing the copy of a short note (he will not send it till he hears from H.) from himself to Mivart simply asking whether he is the author of the article. He tells H. that he considers the affair too disagreeable for any by-stander to undertake, & for himself it wd be a relief to know on what terms to stand w. Mivart & he w^d then be able to cast it off his mind. It seems quite to plague him still. He kept away from the Linn. Soc. this time as he disliked meeting Mivart who is Sec. there & felt sure he shd get so angry. It wd not do for H. & H. to take any step till they had read Mivart's rejoinder to G's letter.

I am v. sorry about Esther. I quite forgot to tell her how m. I thought her cooking improved, so I wrote a line to that effect. I find by this note that G. is in London, so he will talk it over with you— We have written to him to Cam. so perhaps he will not have got the letter before he sees you—

I want to hear the Steele iniquities. I am sure there will be a vigorous try for you to have Emmy & Ada—Emmy wd be only a pleasure, except that any extra care for any length of time is rather too m. for you—

As we shall have G. I shall ask the Nash's for Sat— Laidee come to hand. Frank lunched at R—bourne *P [symbol for yesterday] *Q. Amy did not go because of a sore throat. Elinor & Eliza C. walked back with him thro' Holwood & meeting Mr Alexander in the approach road, he called out to them, ""Be so good as to keep off the grass""—then he seemed to recognize Fr. & said something civil, & Fr mentioned his name. Are not you surprised that any gent. shd think it worth while to guard that $\frac{1}{4}$ of a mile of turf by such an effort. as it evidently disagreed w. him when he had said it.

There is no wind today so I shall go out & take poor P.

Yours my dear | E.D—