From H. E. Darwin to Emma Darwin 5 May 1866

My dearest Mamy—

I got your letter forwarded from Cannes & was very glad to get it—for tho' I had heard colateral news t'isnt the same— What a wonderful & altogether marvellous account of yourselves you do give— I am so glad Papa went to the Royal Soc & saw all his old friends— It must have seemed like coming to life again—& I hope it will be an earnest for the future—& you too I'm so glad to hear of 5 days well & plays & other profligate dissipations. I hope it was the Phil you went to & that you had a good one. You hear so little music—I hope you didn't go to German Reed— If I'd been there I'd have made you go to the Phil—as some things people shdn't be allowed to give up. It was g^t. honour about the P. of W. I rather grudge having missed such a success— First bulletin—E. has since been examined by old [Batt] & he says it is not spinal irritation & so we feel more comf & E. has settled never to tell her mother about D^r Lee therefore you must bury it in eternal secrecy— She has told Alice— Our plans are now to stay here for a fortnight till the 16^th. & see if E. gets better—if she shd make very great progress she wd stay a little longer—but I am sure she won't—and if there is no very decided step go to Paris— we shd make two goes of it I think & she wd have a coupé lit— Avignon wd probably be our halting place & we shd stop 2 or 3 nights as she finds it necessary to have a good halt when she halts at all & get to Paris the 19^th or 20^th. Then from Paris my journey wd be quite simple— If Frank liked to meet us there & spend 2 or 3 nights it wd be very pleasant for me to have him to go about with (make him bring Galignanis guide to Paris—in the low book shelf by the maps—a black book) & I spose he wd like it—but if thought wrong to take him from school I cant tell you how entirely easy I shd find the journey from Paris to Calais—ladies carriages—no change—no nothing—ticket through & be met at Dover—but as I said before it wd be very pleasant to have him as I shd then see Paris a little wh. of course I shan't do with my poor sickie— I think she is a shade better since her change—but a mere shade— Louisa Erskine drove me up here— It is about 3 miles from Nice—quite out of the town tho' not quite out of the villas—such a hot drive up— It was the 1^st time I've felt too hot—really too hot— I felt quite sick but I think it was partly Louisa— The first night of her is tolerable but she steadily makes one sicker every half hour more you spend in her company—and when she got to the ""Origin""—it was too much. I cd hardly get up the sickliest grin. The road here is horribly bad being yet unmade & they put a great stone in the middle of the road which they will move for you if your driver ""sacrés"" very much—our driver ""sacréd"" a good deal but apparently not enough, for the workman wdn't move a finger & so we got out & left our driver still burring the rs of his sacrés. Cimiez is on the site of an old roman town & there are some fine massive remains just outside the gates—& a temple of Apollo now a gardeners house— On one side is a great big convent of Franciscan monks—dirty old dogs they look—fat and coarse looking—& they rather harbour beggars & nastiness generally— Our villa is very prettily situated in a wild sort of half garden half olive grove looking down on Nice & the Sea & Antibes & the Estrelles in the distance. It is an exceedingly pretty view but not so pretty as up the country in to the mountains— The river is the great blot in the country— It is such a great ugly bed of stones—with the water making no show—so different from the beautiful Siagne rushing past Auribeau— It is all very rich & pretty & I think we shall pass our fortnight very comfortably. Poor little Miff is not very well again—but I hope she will soon be better. I am thankful to say Es & my rooms are quite away from hers & it is such a comfort not to think of her overhearing & not to have be as still as mice after she goes to bed—I thk I have told you a little about her dress— It is quite as funny as before— Whether it is this or what it is I don't know but the people here thk her slightly cracked (by the way a dreadful acc^t. of Miss P. I am glad you had aunt Eliz). The mistress of the Pension said—""Miss Smith is much better some days than others—much less flighty don't you thk so—she was taking to me quite rationally yesterday—really very pleasantly whilst the other day she was running about now gathering a twig from one tree now from another."" Of course I stuck up for her & didn't give in to her crackiness— But I don't wonder for she does look cracked & she darts about rather in the aimless sort of way a fly does— We have a larger company & we don't hate them much yet— Today I went a nice walk alone & found a lot of pretty flowers—milkwort is so lovely here—& the poppies & gladioli in the corn are so pretty—a beautiful anchusa & wild asparagus—now the most lovely green & it is so graceful—I've another ophrys—I never saw such things to make out— It won't agree with any discription—& is diff^t. from any I've had before. My walk was very prett up a fertile little valley but tame enough after beautiful Mentone— This evening I went with the french governess to vespers as she said it was ""une si belle musique""  I wasn't so much struck with its beauty—in fact twas rather hideous— I like to have seen a catholic service for once— She is the nicest person in the house that I have discovered— We cannot get to see a paper—& so are much in the dark as to public affairs—I suppose War is certain—& no Venice for the Hensleighs.

I feel quite well now but so sleepy I must to bed Yours dear M. | H. E. D.