From H. E. Darwin to Emma Darwin [c. 15 May 1866]

here. Then again on the other hand it will be full cold for german baths before June—& she wd so much prefer her 5 days of donothing-ness out of Paris where little Aunt [Ju.] goes frantic & where it is not v. cheerful to lie on your bed all day— These are all the sides to the question—except that of course I can enjoy what I do with E. in quite a diff^t. way to what I have enjoyed before, & that as long as E. as is she is now you needn't pity me at all or want me to come home for any reason but our mutual pleasure. If we stay we shd go to a v. booful place St Vallier up in the mountains between here & Cannes—about 20 miles from Cannes & 23 or 4 from here— We know of a good hotel & we know it is very beautiful with a ruching mountain river—a fortnight more here wd be too long.

Just got your letter of Monday for wh. many thanks— I had been much excited about Money Crisis tho' I had no notion W^m. had any thing to do with O. & G. I am so glad to hear that Papa's head is better— I never did get the Pall Mall you sent & I fancy it is nearly useless sending them—they are so often stopped. We are better off for papers now as we have made g^t. friends with an old gentleman who is quite unorthodox: He is very deaf & he & Elinor had a long Conversation at dinner shouting out enquiry about their diff^t. unitarian friends & connections. At this same dinner some of them made out who I was. It was whilst we were at Monton—so 1^st. I was called a very sweet or a very clever girl then—was I any relation to the Darwin—then perhaps I did not agree with my fathers views ""Oh yes I did."" But you surely do not agree with these very broad opinions."' I am afraid now our characters are quite gone. I don't know M^rs Mylles but Cimiez is a large place & I might walk forever & not meet 'em, even if I shd know them by their dress.

Do you know I thk Miss Smith does look crazy sometimes. She flys about so in such a unelderly way & will go into a wild extacy about a bit of wall. Then she is so undecided in any order she has to give. Elinor does all the ordering here & that is odd in their eyes. Just the same at Mentone I found it much better to do the ordering or most of it my self. She hates it as well as doing it so badly—

As I shall have to exceed my 4^d I may as well write on indefinitely— I suppose Elinor will be able to get her ultimatum together in the course of time. I have given it over into her hands having made up my mind to the extra time if she really thinks it will do her real good. I am rather staggered by a pretty bad fit of pain today—but I must say I thk she has earned it by imprudence. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, she went drives & then Wednesday the day after we came home we went a donkey exped. She had made up her mind to go & so I thought the further off our journey the better. It was very very lovely—we two went on donkeys— Miss S. was to have come but was $\frac{1}{2}$ pleased to find out the 3^rd one was lame & stay at home and draw. We went a quiet little lane mounting & winding along the base of an olive covered hill with the most beautiful views of the mountains–-1 fat snowy one in the very distance with a cloud sitting on his head & some very fine near ones—a good many of the near ones are ugly—bare yellowish rock & earth—arid to the last degree & not fine shapes but there are some beauties just far enough off to look lilac & the clouds to make purple shadows— near there was a deep ravine & on a steep little hill a most picturesque old village the object of our ride—the streets in stairs & a funny little old world sleepy half deserted looking place—but even there a little boy making hay on the rocks—(how rocks produce hay I can't think) was saying ""You speke English—Yesh—Goodybye Goodybye—"" & then he began at the very top of his voice & as hard as he cd tear singing hyms all about the Vierge incomparable & the Bon Dieu sauveur of the genre humain—such a rollicking affair as he made of it— We were 4 hours away not riding quite all the time tho'. I must tell you that the end of my Menton visit was less disastrous— We had a lovely day for Monaco & a most beautiful drive it is—and a sweet early morning exped. before coming home on Tuesday up amongst the olives & mountains—I do love the olives—I thk them one of the most interesting of trees—& I shan't at all like England cos it hasn't got them. Just now the shoots make the slightest tinge of green over their silver grey foliage—I don't think there is any other tree I cd bear to see such miles off & never get tired or think them same–- Then the fresh corn poppies gladiolus & a bright blue boragnious thing look so lovely under them—abroard is a nice place.

Well at last our plans are fixed—we don't go to St Vallier thinking the long drive there & back reason enough against it, but we stay on here until the 30^th. or 31^st.—just a fortnight longer— It does seem rather long before I shall see you—but I think I cdn't do other wise & I hope you'll thk so too. If bothering over it wd help one to a decision ours ought to be right—for we have talked about nothing else the whole blessed day & I shall be very glad to end it in my bed & start afresh tomorrow with nothing to settle— My two months were up on Thursday! so I shall indeed exceed my time— I hope you won't have written to Chatham—I shall hear if you have & write for it—

Your H. E. D.

Will you send enclosed to Margaret— It tells about the Hensleighs if you have not had enough of my letters wh. I shd think likely.