From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield 4 April 1880

Dearest H—

I have such a quantity to say I shall never get done— 1^st what a provoking bad day for your Sunday out— 2^ndly What trouble you have taken about the papers. There is one lily paper I like m. better than any—a dull green; but I am a little afraid of the colour because of the rest of the furniture— We laughed the matting Dados to scorn & of the cloth ones I have marked the suitable ones for the yellow paper & for the lily; & one of those we will have; but I feel as if they (the dados) were something too odd—

I had a v. nice letter from At C. (but I am sworn never to send hers) after W^ms. visit; w. pleased them all— `"Sophy found him such a pleasant person to do business with—explaining so clearly what she did not understand & so kind in his manner—"he has always been a special favourite of mine" "'

Williams letter is so m. about affairs that as exor he says it must be confidential—only he hopes they may eventually (after At C's death) continue to live at L. H. P—

""I got to L. H. P about 12 & went to see At C. for $\frac{1}{4}$ hr— She looked greatly aged, but seemed pretty well, & talked about general matters with interest. I then set to work w. Sophy, who certainly has much sense in getting to understand business matters, without having had anything explained by her father— — — (till 11 at night)  Everything is left as it is except that Sophy has £5000 w. was what was settled on the others. It is left so that At C—need make no will—Sophy & I to be trustees for the estate""

I have not time for such small matters as Mabel but here is her happy letter— F— & I are just beginning to find out whether we are on our heads or our heels (politically) but I as am 100 times more pleased than you can poss. be sorry, I think you ought to give up being sorry at all. Our mental Champagne has had v. little sympathy except from At Eliz. as Frank hardly cares & George cares a little the wrong way; tho' he says now that he hopes the Libs may be as strong as poss. so as not to have to truckle—

Seriously I shall be very glad if my opinions & yours gradually converge as I have felt it r. painful to have them so diametrically opposite to each other.

Leo— says that he is reckoned the most outrageous Liberal at Chatham—& that he has about 5 companions in Liberalism

A very nice letter from Hope to At Eliz. (w. a good acct of Baby) asking her to spend June, w. is nice—& puts At E. in mind to ask you not to forget her ears—

How nicely & gently the Times has let itself down—(We are by no means proud of our doings in Northampton.) Sir John is said to have received several invites from other constituencies & I hope it is true—

He wrote a feeling note to F—saying that he shd have felt it m. last year but now did not seem to care. I have kept a good many of the papers sending back those I am q. certain against & the Dados—

F & I went to the poll yesterday mg at 8.30 & found the zealous H. B. C. on the field— He did not seem at all confident

I rather hope Gladstone will not take office for his consistency sake— A European war is George's bugbear in the matter—

Well here is post time— | yours E. D—

Frank had a beaut day for bicycling to Abinger yesterday— Poor G. has (I believe) given up going to Glasgow—w. is dispiriting