From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield [6 October 1876]

Dearest H—

Yesterday was q. lovely & we sat a long time w. Caroline & Hope came at 12 & I had her all to myself (I will tell you on a separate sheet because of Aunt Eliz)— She is rather bothered & anxious. Then came the Farrers very pleasant & I carried off Effie to myself after lunch. She was very nice & especially full of feeling for Bessy.

In the p. m. I went a walk w. C. up the wood; & found Caroline still sitting down stairs when I returned, & she dined w. us & did not go upstairs till 9. when Jos. went up to read to her.

I find myself constantly admiring Margaret & she is certainly prettier than ever she was.

By the way Hope is extremely beautified as all engaged people are, & her figure in her stays quite elegant.

The children have pleasant open expressions but their grandfather & g.mother had exactly the same defect of little dark eyes very near together & the 2 eldest have the same. We expect the R. Williams to lunch—

We shall find 3 days q. enough to have seen Caroline satisfactorily, & I think she will feel that it is enough too, as it is a strain on her—

It was the 1^st time she had seen T.H. & she said it was such an effort to her that she c^d hardly bear to come down, but she q. enjoyed it when she had got over that feeling—

By the way I told Helen Whitehead that I w^d give her 5/ a week; is that enough—

I think poor H. is in an anxious & depressed state & feels that he dreads the marriage instead of wishing for it. This is dreadfully flat & I trust that he will be happier when with her. Then I said my say about the marriage ceremony; but hers were such deep objections that my superficial ones did not at all meet them. She feels that it is wrong to make use of a religious ceremony which she does not like, & she quite knows that her mother will dislike the civil marriage a good deal & quite dislike her doing any thing odd—

Then both she & Effie said they did not believe any enquiries w^d be made by friends which a vague answer of ""they were married quite privately in London""—w^d not meet. Also Hope said she thought it w^d be a temporary vexation that w^d go out of their heads.

She w^d have given in if Rose had held firm to her objections; but then she wrote that she could not bear that they should be [brassed] by her wishes. I am so glad you have persuaded Ellen against that situation. It really wd be hardly reputable for a young girl—

yours my dear— I am sure that was a real smile— Bessy should keep on practising holding him—

It is as you say a pity our leaving William on Sat. I will tell you what he says tomorrow.

yours— | E.D—

Atty is engaged to Ellie d'Arcy— I am so glad of it as opening a fresh interest for Mrs R. not to mention poor Atty himself—

I am glad At Eliz dined