From Emma Darwin to Leonard Darwin 15 September [1874]

My dear Leo.

It is a long time since I wrote. We have now been at home for a fortnight, & except the last 3 days, it has rained every day I think, & the garden looks a gay sort of mash as Lett. has been ill & has been away.

Fr. & Amy came home a week ago. They were so thoroughly married before that there is not much difference to be seen. They are always rushing backward & forwards to the House, & sometimes spending a day in London buying furniture. I think they will have the dining room & a bedroom ready in a week's time, & they will enjoy very heartily being in their own castle. Dickie is now at Chatham on Torpedo work in a ship. He came over on Sunday w. Fritz; but. Bran looked so like fighting that we had him shut up— Horace came Sat. after a good days work.

A Telegram came from W^m. asking Ho. to go Scotland w. him this week, which he was too happy to agree to, & he has had few holidays. & W^m is paymaster, w. adds a [rest]. George is better & went on Friday night to the Lakes, joining the Cooksons on Ullswater. Mrs C. wrote him such nice, cordial & considerate notes that I think she must be very nice & I don't wonder that he adores her. I do hope he will be tol, & then he will enjoy it heartily. F. has been hard at Utricularia since our return. It is such minute microscope work that it is very tiring, more especially as the results are uncertain & difficult to verify.

We settled that you w^d arrive about Sep. 24— If the ship does not telegraph, I hope you will have thought of doing so, tho' it is useless my saying so. The other night we missed Polly at bed time, & soon conjectured that she must be shut up at Tygwyn. On going outside I soon heard her yelping, which no doubt she had been doing for 4 hours. F. & Ho. went at once to let her out, & you may imagine her rapture at being lifted over the wall into her Grandpapa's arms & the quantity of pity she received. (I am vexed to find that I have kept this one day too late, & you may have a long interval.

yours my dear | old man. E.D.