From Emma Darwin to Leonard Darwin 9 November 1875

My dear Leo.

I mean to get into the way of writing short notes to you just as if you were at Chatham, the more so as I have v. little to say, as we are extra quiet just now— Amy is gone to Pant— at Mrs Atkin has continued very unwell after a rheumatic attack; & Mrs Ruck has lost her dear friend mrs Ford, so that Amy's visit was welcome Frank takes his meals here & dines at the Nashs playing billiards till 12 (so to speak) (once only however) He & Mr Nash are busy about the Reading Room hoping to open it in a fortnight; but there are great difficulties in the way of lodging any body to take charge of it.

Your jolly letter is just come in; it seems there is a regular season at Malta. I once saw that sort of tableau at Edin. but the 2 ladies (one representing the image of the other in a glass) were not sisters & looked utterly unlike each other. I expect your dancing will reach a great pitch of perfection. George has had a v. bad bout for a fortnight. D^r Clark strongly recommends his going South & I think he will manage it as soon as he gets a tolerable interval to do the journey.

I suppose you have seen the Eton squabbles about Oscar Browning's dismissal. Geo. has heard about it from Gerald Balfour who thinks B. very ill-used. This is the 2^nd thing of the sort; but the other was the dismissal of a Head Master without any notice. I think you will find it a pleasant change to talk axles w. George after all your frivolity—

W^ms doings at Southampton are prospering—viz. inducing the town authorities to alter the whole system of Relief & Charity & Medical relief. The town is the most pauperised of all England except Bristol which is also under a Local Board & not the New Poor Law. He has been nagging at it for years & has only just got some others to help him.

It has made him very busy— He has just been for Sat & Sunday to the Cowper Temples. I don't know how he got to know such swells—

I think poor Ed. is not likely to live more than a week— At Eliz is longing to go there but as Ed. speaks in a whisper & is so weak she feels it out