From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield [1 July 1875]

Dearest H.

As you are not coming it is worth while to sit down & have a chat. What a wonderful power of bearing

things Laura has; e.g. anxiety about Charles. I suppose she has the wisdom w. many men have &

few women, of being able to throw off an anxiety if they are quite powerless in the matter.

Bessy has just had a v. cordial note from her about the 24^th & Horace—

You are q. right in Frank having forgotten to write to u. We all scolded him, & whether he wrote

after all I don't know. We are all rather indignant at Mrs Ruck's management in having Amy down

there again on Sat. in order that she may be up with Edwal on Duke's day & exam—

It is not reason enough w. such a placid good boy as Edwal, who w^d of course see the

reasonableness of her breaking her promise of being w. him at that time when it was so peculiarly

inconv^t. The difficulty is that Mr Ruck must not be left alone w. Ithel. So she goes down for

another week. Frank is working like a Turk & thinks he has got a new fact by the tail in Teazle— He & G. went a Teasle hunt yesterday in the pouring rain & found some at the top of Cudham

valley— F. has had a talk w. him about learning to work faster— Fr. has had the offer of

writing an article in the Encyclo. (something) recommended to the Ed. by Huxley. The Ed. wanted

F. to do it, but H. said it was out of the question & that Fr. w^d do it well. It is on Breeding—

He has written to ask particulars & length & I feel sure it will be settled against, from not

giving time enough—as he is a slow worker & can't give m. time. There has been a sad fiasco

about posting letters viz. the steady Leo. forgetting to post the errata for the Insect. w. were sent up by him on Sunday night to save a post (the 2 millionth mistake has been coming in from all quarters). He rushed at once to Clowes; but it was too late (he was horror-struck poor boy). F. is rather vexed but not v. m— Another horse on the tapes from Mr Alexander

He wd come regularly & send medicine. & those are constant difficulties w Dr Andrew