From Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield [11] April 1881

Dearest H—

We had some troubles w poor B—yesterday. He mistook his father to say that Nanna wd come after he was in bed— So yesterday mg. I found I must tell him the truth or really deceive him. At first I told him that she was at Mrs Parslow's & he shd go & see her— He said ""I shall soon have her out of Mrs Parslow's""— When I told him she was going to be married his poor face crumpled up & he said ""I don't like it that way at all""— He cried very quietly but c^d not get over it for some time. In the P. M. Fr took him down to see her & he rushed at her crying violently & when she tried to comfort him by saying she sh^d come & see him, he kept on saying ""That won't do."" Fr left him there & called for him again & he was pacified by Nanna promising to come to tea & spend the evg—

She is come up for the day again this morning & will come up every day till she goes to London; but I believe the worst is over— (She is to go to London on Wed)—

Frank is gone today to look after worms & parallel roads at Lewes— He is tempted by the state of the roads & the wind in his back to bicycle all the way, & had sent some clothes by rail— The Franke's visit has gone off pleasantly— I think you & R. hardly do justice to his playing, tho' one can't say any thing for the tone, but I think his playing is tasteful & simple & not whiny. They performed Beet's Trio No. 1 Fr bassoon coming in very effectively & he is greatly improved by his orchestra playing—

Mr Fox is prim & rather dull but more of a man of the world than I fancied by his notes full of his mother & his Aunts. He was very open about his prospects which are very dispiriting having been called to the bar but not being rich enough to take Chambers or live in London—

(His brother who was tutor to the German royal family only rec^d £100 & to board & lodge himself— He must have lost money by it) 

He looks ill & sad— He took a long walk after the general walk— Rose is very happy & open & we all like him better. One feels him to be nice.

yours my dear E D.

There is no end or variation in this horrid wind—

Your letter just came re. Froude— He told G. he had cut out a gt deal; but what he published gave a real & true impression of Carlyle's faults & virtues. Also that the marriage had been unsuitable & they had better not have married. That she never knew how m. he loved her—

Froude seems to have been too open, considering his confidential situation 

W^m is going to see Clark I am glad to say— I expect that he will advise him to do some work—