From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield [20 June 1877]

Dearest Hen—

We started from here yesterday at 6.45. on a most lovely day only alarmingly hot. We had telegraphed on Monday to G to meet us at Salisbury he was coming [here] on that day to meet us at Salisbury but he misunderstood the tel as unluckily W^m had omitted the A.M. & he did not think it poss we cd be at Salisbury at 8.30 a.m. However there he was at the station at Salisbury with our open carriage & [pain] looking v bright & smiling & I think he enjoyed. it more than any of us tho' he had seen it twice before.

The road is striking & ugly—over great cultivated pig's backs—except the last 2 or 3 miles when we got on the turf— I found that Lady L's note paper had done [me] an injury it looked so like & so small. We loitered about & had a gt deal of talk w. an agreeable old soldier placed there by Sir Ed [Autrobne] who was keeping guard & reading a devout book w. specs on. He was q agreeable to any amount of digging; but sometimes visitors came who were troublesome & once a man came w. a sledge hammer who was [very] difficult to manage. ""That was English all over"" said he— Prince Leopold had been there. ""I wish he w^d come again, he gave me a yellow boy."" They did not find much good about the worms. Mrs Cutting who seem to be very idle out there, gave us a gorgeous lunch & plenty of Appol. water. We drove back a lower way very pretty by the river & rich valleys & close under Old Sarum—very striking. The next time we are here we mean to come to Salisbury & see that & the Cathed. I was not so tired as I expected & F. was wonderful as he did a gt deal of waiting out in the sun— Today I am only dead— Geo. came in just now with his lip cut from a fall off the bicycle. It is a long cut but only superficial, & does not want any surgery—but it might have smashed his teeth. I hate those bicycles— Your letters are just come. It is sadly tedious for you poor body, to stay in bed so many days. How glad I am now that you have Bessy w. you—& so is R. (by a nice letter I have from him today). I believe he goes to Penn next Sat—but I dare say he will come here on the one after, as I am afraid you will not be at home poor soul—

F. was surprized at the smallness of Stone henge too. It did not give me any feeling of grandeur. Babsey is a little less troublesome & if we can keep Frank & Maryanne out of sight he is content for a time. What he likes is to sit on Fr lap & be surrounded by all the rest, when he is v bold & [mu] amused—

The puppies might as well not exist as they are always away but not I think hunting as they are never hot & tired—

Thank B. for 2 pleasant letters. I send you Hookers— Tweezers all right Goodbye— my dearest— yours E.D—

At Eliz. says she sh^d be q. comf—but for Tony & the v. [Hafens]. She has asked Amy & I trust she will come now while we are away