From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield [14 September 1877]

Dearest Hen—

Your last acct (by letter) makes me know m. more about R & gives me the impression that he is not very uncomf—

Clement came yesterday & is gone today. He was pleasant & told us m—family gossip. (Geo. went up to meet Elinor & learn if she had any more last words; but found her feverish & not fit for the journey—

So Horace & Annie start tonight. Horace came from London— He had been w. Lenny to see a surgeon for his knee & found that the Chatham surgeon had been mistaken in letting him put his foot to the ground— There is liquid in the joint & it is fastened up in splints & he is to lie for a week & not put his foot to the ground— He is estab. v. comf. in the Pantry at Q.A—& Eras luckily for him is downstairs in the dining room, owing to cleaning up, so that he can be wheeled in on the sofa— Horace goes up w. a store of novels for him as he is q. well & comf—, before he & Annie start tonight—when they will not have q. so horrid a passage as they w^d have had *P [symbol for yesterday] *Q when there was a N. W—storm—

Here is Elinors nice letter & D^r Clark's opinion is cheering. I must write & tell her what a bad thing it wd have been to go—

Foreigners come this evening, after a bad passage I am afraid, & the horrid one they w^d have had *P [symbol for yesterday] *Q consoles me for W^ms bad management in not coming the day before Sara— She comes this p. m. at 5—47—

Give my best love to R— yours my dearest | E. D—-

P. S. How glad I am you can speak so tol. of yourself— I am sadly disappted about Elinor as she wd have helped you thro nights; but I expect she will take Horace place—who goes in good heart.

G. was prepared to go on Wed. but was so utterly dead beat, that we settled Horace was best as you can't have Leo. best of all—

Your letter to Mab. or Bessy to Beartenberg is come in by Chiddingstone no doubt forwarded after Carry from Mürren so I dare say W^m & Co. will have heard 0