From Emma Darwin to Leonard Darwin [29 October 1876]

My dear Lenny

Frank has now been a week at home & has been able to attend to his work & really feel an interest in it. Mrs Ruck leaves us on Friday I am sorry to say— She is the greatest comfort to him, though he never speaks of Amy even to her—

We have had great delay in getting the rooms photographed but now I hope we shall really move the things & get him established in the billiard room which will hold most of his carved oak furniture.

We had the 3 Ruck brothers on Sunday & he as with them almost all day— I was surprized that he could bear so m. talking— Dickie has had a great mortification in not having been sent to Eastbourne to witness the firing at his own fort & he was not very well, & got into low spirits; but the Col. had some sort of explanation or apology with him & he is to go soon— Arthur is engaged to the youngest Miss d’Arcy— It has been a sort of tacit engagement half their lives; but on their return from Australia it was definitely settled. I am afraid they can’t be married for a long time, as he has nothing yet, & her fortune partly went to pay her good for nothing brother’s debts in Australia after his death. Mrs Ruck feels her to be quite like a daughter. George has been suffering from a rash all over im for some time & though it has not stopped him from working it gives him dreadfully irritable nights— He went from Cambridge yesterday to consult Clark— who says it is eczema & that he must keep warm & stay in London that he may see him tomorrow. He is at the Laugham Hotel— It is a most disagreeable complaint but not dangerous— He is in the thick of his Astronom-Mathematics & was having a great deal to do w. Adams who is most kind to him, so he will be especially vexed at having to give up now—

The Litches are at home so that Hen will look after him; but I hope he will be able to come home tomorrow. We have got a nice horse from Southampton on trial only rather too young, but I hope he will do—

Mrs R. & Bessy are carrying over all the ornaments & China in baskets this mg— She has made mems. how they are placed as he wishes to have them just the same order in which he & Amy settled them. I am afraid like you that there will be a difficulty in his taking exercise enough; but he will nto hear of a horse— Taking walks with Bessy will be some slight motive to start him. Two persons have already been about the house.

He is going to put it in M^r Hacon’s hands & he is to settle whether to let it or get the owner to take it off his hands. Have you read the spiritual trials. I think that the sentence was too severe at least as to hard labour viz 3 months in [prison]. If people are so credulous some allowance ought to be made for the rogues. I was afraid Uncle Hensleigh w^d have had to undergo a badgering from Mr Lewis. He was subpo+enaed but not called. Godfrey & Hope are settled for a short time at Trentham Inn— When they went down Godfrey had to go on to the Stoke straight for a meeting, & Hope walked up by herself to the Inn, & must have felt very like an impostor saying she was Mrs Wedgwood.

The Kempsons have taken a house at Folkestone & Uncle Harry stays with them all wrinter & will be a great comfort to Louisa— The children go to a day school, a great success— Rowland has a curacy near Penshurst & a good house, & [Carry] will spend the summer with him & most of the winter in London—

F. is very well after his outing.

Yours my dear old man E. D—