From H. E. Darwin to Emma Darwin 20 May [1866]

Dearest Mamy—

Please I want some money. As I am not quite sure of course that we can be took in at the Chatham please get y^r bank to send an order for £20 to be given me on application at the Paris bank & the letter of certification to be sent to Hotel Chatham so that there may be no risk of losing money as wd be the case in Circular notes sent bodily—Elinor got her last batch of money this way & had no trouble—I hope your little L. H. P. visit has gone off well & that Papa has not hated it too much— I sent a letter yesterday to Lizzie & you & W^m. there which consequently I spose you'll never get—I put a little scandal 'cos I didn't want it to be hawked round cos I felt it wd bore me to write under the impression of so many people reading it all—& I know that extracts cause Aunt Caroline such mortal agony—I think I was very good to leave any fit to be shown— As I said before I'm sorry to have missed going with you as I suppose they will ask me in the course of the summer & I like it much better when we have a nice little dish of spite at night—always supposing Sophy is not next door— Do you remember that evening of agony? Yesterday I wrote letters mostly all day—I was rather tired with my long walk of the day before & the interstices of letters were filled up with finishing 3 or 4 vols of Les Trois Mousquetaires whose 8 vols E. & I had found a great comfort—particlay in the nights when the musquitoes have been most lively. Last night was a thunder storm wh. has cleared the air & it is so bright & fine I am going to be bold enough to go up a mountain on a donkey all alone—Marianne is not very well & can't go—& there is nobody else & so I have sent strict orders into Nice to have a woman and donk to come for me & I set off as soon after lunch as pos— It is only about 2$\frac{1}{2}$ hours up so it isn't awful—I've just found that they have sent a small boy instead & so our landlady M^me. Del Brassie says she'll come too as I don't like to go all alone with this one samll boy who probably hardly knows the way—

Y^r. letter has just come for wh. many thanks—I am very sorry to hear of Papas' not being so well— It is like a fate when we are going to L. H. P. I never heard of Caspary  I don't think you'll like little Mogg. much— He is not a gentleman— Why are all scientific hangers on such funny little men— He is just of a piece with Trimen Giglioni & Co.

I am sorry to hear we arent to have dear D^r Hooker alone— Our plans are unchanged—we leave here tomorrow for Miss Bird's—then Antibes—Avignon & Paris—I must stay & see E. through Trousseaux wh. she dreads very much— Little Aunt Ju will be sure to make such a muddle of it & it will be difficult to prevent her having any thing to do with it— Then E. is afraid she may offer to go into Germany with her wh. she is determined not to accept but wd rather come straight home at once.

Goodbye dearest Mamy—Packing is to begin today! y^r. H. E. D.