From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield [17 December 1878]

Dearest Body—

I was v. glad to see your hand writing this mg as a proof that you were not going to be v. bad as R—told me you had gone to bed poorly. I shall pass on his criticisms & liking of the lecture to Frank, for whom we are sending the carriage to the Nash's as he has a bad cold which must have been very unfavourable to his lecture (temperance) there last night. You have been badly used about the Rich affair; but it is entirely my fault as F—says he put me in mind twice of telling you ""but he supposes I thought it of not the slightest consequence & not worth mentioning."" This is not the case tho' I felt all along I c^d not care about it nearly so m. as he did owing to the great modesty of his nature. I can't conceive why I did not write straight to you; but I suppose it was from thinking you w^d hear it from Eras. w. is not the same thing.

I will send you his letter as soon as I get it back fr. W^m. Caroline W's letter quite shews the best part of her character & I think she may turn out to be a comfort to Col. Carr as enabling him to have visits from his children under her care.

Uncle Harry writes feeling the cold & solitude of the place as v. dismal. He ends by comparing his grief & Col. Carr's as not to be named together & saying how her loss makes little difference to their daily life. Amy' W's visit was v—à propos & quite pleasant. She was perfectly amiable about Lily going to France & indeed preferred it on the score of her coming home once during the year.

She began upon the Mabel subject to At E. & talked of it q. cheerfully as a thing gone by— That she was convinced Mab. had never cared for him. That she felt ashamed for Mab & Mab for herself— Rose is entirely occupied & nearly as well as usual. She has entirely given up the violin.

We have got Miss Dulin engaged for the Penny Reading on Monday & Mr Teesdale & Mr Pearson (for a consideration) is to undertake the accomp. & management so I shall not go. B. is perfectly well & has the most comical games—putting [""Lole]"" (gold) pennies & silver pennies under each of the buttons in a certain chair in & out of his [pockick] 20 times—this has lasted 3 days— For 2 days stirring up dry middlings (for the birds) was q. delightful & v. little mess made (considering)

It will be v. nice seeing you both on Sat. tell R. to bring his music. The trees are beautiful & snow not deep—

Goodbye | E .D—

Sister Mary is delighted at Bessy's foreign plan—

I quite agree w. you about F's signing too readily; even if the object is undeniably good but especially when I think the object not a good one and poss. mischievous as in the Moncure Conway case— In such a plain case of immorality as he considers the war I think he was right. I consider this war as the outcome of our furious antagonism to Russia & causing them to seek eagerly for a weak place in our armour & also for some thing to force us to keep our Indian troops at home in India— Oh if we had but kept to Lord Salisbury's first programme (or Lord Derby's of what we shd object to instead of bothering about things that do not concern us—e.g. a large Bulgaria. How comical it was Effie giving up her patriotism under the glamour of the pretty lady at H of Commons & rejoicing over the Division.

yours my dear— | E .D—

Poor Skimp is v. unwell & low too at times