From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield [26 August 1878]

Dearest Body—

It is good news about your tremendous walk.

F. is anxious you sh^d go to Carnarvon Castle, w. u used to admire more than Conway. At last we have had 24 hrs without rain & a. rising glass but the corn about here is greatly sprouted.

Margaret S. is gone this mg along with Ernest & Horace, who keeps quite well. He bicycled yesterday to High Elms to call on Sir John & talk about Erith to him, w. a view to Norman Lubbock, & then he went on ever so far 22 miles in all. I got r. uneasy when he had not returned by 7 o'clock, w. put Ernest in mind of two alarms he had had about his Mother, once when she & At Eliz walked off together at Hengwrt & never returned. They had gone up the valley so far that they went on to that pretty Inn & took a vehicle— The other time in the Tyrol when she got out & the carriage drove on 12 miles without her, thinking she had walked on. Ernest drove back at once & met her coming in on a hay cart talking to the driver. It was not his stupidity tho' I can't recollect how. I feel very fond of Margaret, she is so gracious. She had Bernard for hours— We had a sweet little visit from Effie & the two looked so comf. talking all day on their respective sofas. She sang after lunch & B. was quite entranced on my lap, occasionally saying mum mum, & when she stopped saying ""two mumum"" by way of encore. She sang more beaut. than I ever heard—

Ernest was v. pleasant & saw a good deal of his M^r. George is pretty well & controverting Mr Haughton again—

Lady Lubbock came with Sir John to shew a plant to F. She said Mady was tremendously admired at Dublin— Her illness making her look so brilliant & delicate; & that she seemed well. I wonder when you will be coming home & coming to us. I am so glad R. is so strong & hungry. The 2 articles in the Fortnightly by Greg & Gladstone are v. striking I think the first G. so reasonable & cool & the 2^nd so fiery & full of élan. I don't agree w. the Times that now he had better accept fate. I think he sh^d cry aloud to the end, he may convert some one. Snow is at R—& came *P [symbol for yesterday] *Q. It is also serious that poor little At Julia is there

B's longest sentence ""Abbety abbety"" for life & feeling Mim meaning George [meaning George appears below "Mim"] Dadda—""meaning that herself v. desolate & the 3 had gone up the walk—

I suppose a burden— Elinor is coming home poorly w. I am v—sorry for—

yours my dear | E. D—

Mrs Shaen sent a vol. of Ernest Myers poems, that F—might see a sonnet on ""Darwin"" w. he duly read, but did not understand & told Margaret ""It has no meaning it is [poetry]

Here is Hope always pleasant tho' I daresay you have nearly the same