From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield 22 January 1880

Dearest H.

This is only a line on business—

I feel convinced that Fr wd quite dislike your putting off coming to us on acct of the lecture; but that is not to the purpose as he wd not know it. I sh^d think Crawley wd be there & Fr is so utterly without vanity that the assurance of any one that it was pretty well done w^d quite satisfy him; but he has now lectured so often that I believe he wd be satisfied with his own opinion—

We are such a small party & it w^d be so nice to have you that I vote you don't give it up—

F. & I are deeply touched by Richard's feeling towards us, which indeed we felt sure of before; but it is pleasant to have the reassurance of it. I do believe he cares for us as much as if we were (I won't say parents) but something near it. It is so fine I am going to venture out to see a poor woman (dirty Mrs Elliott, do you remember her) who has such a dreadful leg nobody can bear to enter the house, & see whether she can be persuaded to go to Bromley Hospital—

So Good bye my dearest | E.D—

Some nice letters when you come—

G. must have had a good passage— He was at his worst when he went. You will see H. & I *P [symbol for tomorrow] *Q & they come here Sat!!

F. desires me to say that he was sure R. was in the plot & that he mentally included him in his expressions to his children.