From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield [6 January 1879]

Dearest H.

Therm. 25 w. is v. horrid but I shall not go out— Yes. we shall be very glad to ahve you on Sat (or Friday next) & stay as long as you can— Patterns are not come yet. Lily will not come to you till Thursday.

Yesterday Bernard had a delightful exped. all the way to Cudham w. Abbety & Boo & Mim & Lenny & Dadda, to look after Marianne Drew whom Jackson found without any coal on Sat. He talked all the way when he was not singing & had to be put down whenever they came to a frozen puddle to stamp upon it. I had a worse headache than usual on Sat—& again it was after going in the carriage to At Eliz. It is too odd to believe. Now I am going to try severe diet.

We liked Mary d'Arcy better than usual this time. Her voice & way of speaking are v nice. Poor Elly has had fever & had to give up nursing a gt grief. Arthur had been in a rage w. Col. Drew. at being left behind & not going to the front. Skimp looks v. unwell, but I think obeying definite orders has been a comfort to him. I see he forces himself up in the mg. & goes w. G. his regular walk— He has almost constantly a pain in the stomach. I think he is in better spirits & says he has done a little work this week. I am a little alarmed about the letter to Effie; but I suppose you made it easy to her to do nothing in the matter. I was v. sorry to part w. Sara. I feel her v. comf. & old enough for any thing She shewed me such a charming letter of W^m. for which I felt grateful. I shall be anxious to know what D^r C. said. An invite to dinner at the Forrests for Fr. & Bessy w. dismays her a good deal— He says he likes it m. better than going to the Lubbocks— Any how it will not do to mortify them after Mr F's help about the Penny Bank—

After all I have read the 3^rd vol of that v. unpleasant book to myself—& nothing can be more disagreeable & tedious too which is wonderful with the degree of power it has. (Grimes' oil is 3/QQQQ—a gallon & Coop—$\frac{1}{2}$!)—

It is v. wonderful Mrs Shaen really caring about seeing B—but I quite believe it.

It is a gt misfortune for you if Mrs Thomason fails now; but I am afraid it looks like it.

I liked Lord Derby's speech; but it makes one uncomf. to think war should be the interest of any one. Yes. I read Gladstone & tho' he carried me w. him at the time, on reflection I think he was v. foolish to go into the old sins of the Tories; but I think he put it powerfully about Bessarabia, which he always spoke out about from the first— I feel it a v. different thing to have party spirit for peace than to have party spirit for war. I have been reading all the difficulty Sir R. Walpole had in preserving peace in the beginning of Geo II—when there was the same sort of anxiety to interfere about every thing that there is now; how I wish we had such a man now—

You will have heard from Hope that they don't come to us till March— I am afraid B—n disagrees w. her worse than ever. & she speaks bitterly even of young Rendel which shews her be in an exaggerated & irritated state of mind—

Godfrey had m. better join the Xmas party there alone & send her up to Effie or 31—

Here is such an amusing letter from Effie w. please to give At F. some time—

I am sorry to say that it is a severe case of capers about the sofa— We ordered it at Heal's & I wrote to reproach Maple; so no wonder they did not remember it, however Skimp shall order the smoking room one at Maples—

B. says Don't know, which some how he thinks partic clever— (I have no doubt 30^ft & 40^ft is right there are the 2 landing places extra)

yours my dear | E . D