From Emma Darwin to Leonard Darwin 4 August [1876]

My dear Leo.

The time passes so quickly in our methodical life that I find I have been 10 days without writing to you— I hope some of the others have written. Horace came home on Monday from his week in Scotland w. W^m & Bessy. He was rather done up with the bustle at Birm. but the last 2 days he had 2 delightful walks up the mountains near Crieff a pretty place on the railway N. of Edin. with rocks & rushing brooks & a little lake—

They had fine weather too & then I believe Scotland w^d be delightful. W^m. makes progress tho’ not very fast.— They dined at the table d’hôte (which they found v. tiresome) but it shews him to have made a gt step.

Bessy takes walks w. Pearce as well as w. Wm—so that she does nto depend entirely on W. They have now got to Braemar & the Litches were to have set out tomorrow to join them; but poor Hen. has been quite upset by an unsuccessful tooth drawing which brought on inflammation & has made her so unwell I doubt when she can go, I hope they are coming here tomorrow. They will then give up Scotland as too cold— We have had a little rain at last; but not near enough—-

I don’t suppose I told you the upshot of the village squabbles— They had another school meeting outvoted M^r Ff. as to keeping the schoolmaster; but did not enter into the circes of the quarrel. Mr Teesdale charged Ff. whatever he did at the meeting, to hold his tongue & he seems to have obeyed, but looked very yellow & wicked—

I think it will have the effect of keeping him slightly in order. Horace went on his bicycle on Tuesday to Brighton, where he will be at work at the water-works for a month. His chief employment will be levelling I don’t know what for—poss. making 2 ends of the tunnel coincide.

M^r Ouless came on Sunday & made 3 alterations & consid. improvements in the picture, especially the tip of the nose—

I think he quite heartily agreed about them & altered some of the shadows w. he said had grown darker.

We read the Bravo case every day & it gets moer puzzling— I don’t believe any body poisoned him, especially not D^r Gully, & I don’t believe he killed himself— I am sorry for Mrs Cox who had to betray Mrs Bravo who had been so kind to her—

We hear thro’ the Rucks who know everybody that Mrs Bravo’s grandfather & grandm. were convicts, there is plenty of bad blood in her, but I don’t believe she is guilty of this.

I think you must find y^r grinding at languages v. irksome in the heat; but I hope your old Frenchman has some grains of sense. F. has finished his Auto-gi. & I find it v. interesting, but another person who did not know beforehand so many of the things w^d find it more so.

Goodbye my dear old man. | I fill up w. a pleasant letter of G’s— | yours E. D—