From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield [6 September 1878]

Dearest H—

Here is W^m's^ letter which had got itself hidden in a petticoat I had not worn for some time.

I don't want it back—

I hope you have this lovely weather— Bessy is just starting to Basset for 3 nights & I think it will enable W^m to stay 2 nights here— The garden is q. pretty again in a tangled mass & I have done the weary job of writing for bulbs— We are eating our grapes & have had 50 bunches on the trees. They are not q. as good as Franks were— Elly's confine was over on Aug 3. so one may consider her q. safe. So quick they c^d not get the D^r & doing q. well. They were wise enough not to telegraph, & so that they must feel easy now— Snow was here for a day *P [symbol for yesterday] *Q & v. agreeable but I am glad it is done, & so I suspect is F., tho' nothing c^d be more considerate than she as in taking care not to sit too long w. F.

Alice is rather poussié à bout w. the care of poor little Miss I. as well as her mother; & it makes her r. cross, which I never sh^d have expected. Miss I. is v. wearying, settling a thing & when it is arranged changing— Also she wants to get rid of D^r Moore & his love who have been most happy for a week, & Alice has to keep him in order or he w^d walk his Amy to death— How they must horrify the Devas family when they meet them. I am afraid Elinor is come home quite unwell. Aunt F. tried her new horse yesterday (Ward, Mrs Smith's discarded coachman) whom she pays by the job & feels more easy to take a good way—

I am in hopes her being here is almost no burden to F—except a little visit to her & having U. Hensleigh, of whom I am grown q. fond again— He is so careful about her & constant in being with her & I think it washes away the rubbish from his mind— It answers quite to herself & she has change enough of society, w. I was afraid w^d not have been the case— She sits a gt deal at the open window looking on the lawn & has visits from Bernard— Horace wants to go to M^r Easton's country place tomorrow instead of meeting W^m & Leo here! that is portentous but I hope it is only a proper care for his own interests. George called at High Elms & sat an hour w. Lady L. & then another w. Sir John experimenting part of the time about ants—

Bernard says Tata prr. when he has done watering He called some great funguses ""Two open""—

Yours my dear w. my love to Richard— | E. D—

What wretched melancholy things have happened— It makes me thing the Gout will force on the Westinghouse brake w. might have saved the accident or m. mitigated it—

I believe Laura comes on 23^rd— I doubt whether we can take u in w Ida & Tom—

but I hope you will come before.