From Emma Darwin to Leonard Darwin 15 November [1874]

My dearest Old Man

It is more than a month since I have written to you. We had the satisfaction of knowing that the Merope was safe in N.Z. & now I begin to feel you have turned the corner & begun your journey homewards (as it were).

We have had a week's bitter cold, after a very delightful October. We have all been bad with colds—mine very tedious.

On Friday night we rec^d a telegram to tell us of Mrs Hooker's sudden death in a fit. The next mg came a simple affecting note from poor Harriet. She lived 2 hours, but it was all over before D^r H. could be fetched; & I am afraid the poor girl c^d have had no one with her in such a terrible scene. We suppose it must have been apoplexy. I am afraid D^r H. will be utterly knocked down, but terrible misfortunes are always borne better than one expects. I am in hopes that Harriet will shew courage & good sense & be a support to her father. We have had a little visit from L.H.P. & the Harrisons. Horace quite likes him & had a good deal of talk with him chiefly about navy affairs. He has a dry manner & wooden face, so that I did not arrive so far as to like him, but he seems very fond of Lucy & she looks placid & happy. Their visit at L.H.P. will soon be over. The next time they come I hope it will be alone, as one gets more acquainted that way. The other day we called at Holwood but did not meet. We mean to take the first opp. of doing something in that line. F. has finished his microscopic work & is now working up all his Drosera & Dionea experiments into a book, w. as usual turns out longer than he expected. He rather wants a rest & we shall go to Q. A. before long. Mr. Nash called in yesterday to tell us of the discomfiture of the Ff. about the Reading Room w. is to be opened at once. But indeed the poor Ff. shewed no fight at all, as the Board were unanimous. Mr Nash told us that he had serious thoughts of selling & going away, he thought the influence of such a man was so bad for servants & children (I suppose in the way of making them have no respectful feelings about going to Church &c) but they had given that place up & go to Farnboro' church.

I shall hate the Ff. worse than ever if he drives away the only nice family we ever had here. We had a visit from Johnny Innes the other day (sent by his father to inspect Church & Parson) He is quite a pleasant youth, only w. a horrid voice. He is frank & cordial & sat up w. W^m. till 12 at night smoking & talking Goethe & fine art. A very odd sport for Mr Innes' son. He called on Mr Ff. but we had not the fun of hearing any abuse of ourselves.  The other day George had a high compliment— Mr Spottiswoode wrote to ask him if he w^d give a lecture at the Royal. Inst. & left him some time to make up his mind. He has been working v hard on Polit. Econ. & feels sure he has got a new idea by the end; & at first he thought this subject might do; but on reading it over w. his father it turns out much too dry & abstruse, so he has written to give up all thoughts of it. I shd have felt it much too awful to give his first lecture to such an audience; but he wd any how have made an experiment in corporeQQQQ [vile] to a humbler audience He is so m. better it is a pleasure to see him, & laughing & chatting in his old way, which makes one realize how much his illness had altered him. He has gained 14^b in weight & his face looks broad again. Frank is just returned from Pant.QQQQ where he has left Amy. I enclose his letter as telling his news pleasanter than I can do it.

N.B. We have only just finished eating Frank's grapes & they have gone on for 2 months.

Polly has had a great deal to suffer in her mind from the squirrels & sits trembling in the window watching them by the hour going backwards & forwards, from the walnut to the beds where they hid their treasures.

Well Goodbye my dear | yours E. D—

F. is pretty well but not at his best & we shall go to London as soon as we can —