From Emma Darwin to Leonard Darwin 26 August 1876

My dear Leo

We have had rather an anxious few days about Hen—but she is going on quite well after a bad fall from an open carriage on Sunday last at Braemar—

She & R. had luckily only got as far as a mile from the Hotel, when the horse shyed over the side of the road, down a steep fall of about 6^th—he went floundering on down the rough boggy ground till he came to another steep bank, when they were both thrown out & Hen. had just time to feel that it was well over when she found the carriage on thetop of her. R’s leg was caught in the wheel, but he got loose; & while the horse was plunging & struggling he managed to lift up the carriage & Hen wriggled out from under it. R. was dreadfully frightened & inexpressibly relieved on lifting her up, to find that she could stand & even walk a few steps. She lay down quietly till they got another carriage, & the D^r soon came & was positive that no mischief had happened but bruises & strains. She has gone on quite well since; but I was rather afraid of what the bodily shock & blow might do to so weak a person— Here is her last letter w. speaks for itself.

W^m & Bessy are now at Loch Lomond & will reach home about Thursday & stay till Monday I hope before he goes to his work— He has taken to sketching vehemently & altogether they have had many nice expeds. He has been disgusted to find that the house next to Rogers nursery is on sale for £4000 w. I suppose w^d have been far nicer than Ridgmount.

He is not v. strong for walking but can read a good deal now— Poor Litches will have to stay a fortnight longer at least before she is fit to move.

M^r Belt (Nicaragua) came on Tuesday & enjoyed his visit very heartily. He has some awfully revolutionary geological theories & he expounded them fully to F. talking incessantly the whole time. He said he had never got any one person except Lyell to listen to him. F. thought him quite worth listening to; but did not form any opinion. He is not egotistical tho’ he does talk so much—

I forgot to say that the very night the Litches got to Braemar there was an alarm of fire & they had to get up at 5 & pack their trunks; but only an adjoining building was burnt & it was put out before reaching the hotel. We were delighted w. the 2 first vols of Dilemma & quite loathed the 3^rd, not only stupid but revolging. all about Falkland— The indicent of murdering the old fat man in the [Ralkee] is quite horrible; but I suppose he wanted to shew the moral effect of such a war.

yours my dear old man— on 2^nd thoughts I will send that to Horace as Hen tells all the news—Bessy sentence was—

I shall find it difficult to mak myself smart wno’ for the table d’hote— Don’t notice this—