From H. E. Litchfield to Emma Darwin 12 [February 1870]

Continuation of Letter to Frank which I hope home read as it contained postal instructions & m. valuable information wh. will not be repeated. Well I got as far as Alassio when we certainly mean to stop on our road home, if only the weather will take up. Our lunching place was not v. interesting wh. is rather a waste, but the [illeg] settle that. The first view over on to Genoa is v. lovely—unfortunately our day was not clear eno' for the snowy mountains to look well—& so we only saw how beautiful a view it might be. After Finale came the adventurous part of our journey—afternoon was beginning to close in & the sun went behind clouds & we were beginning to think our 12 more miles might seem long, when lo! on a flat tiresome bit of road just $\frac{1}{2}$ an hour before the finest bit of the whole [Corniche], a sudden jolt over the railroad lines snapped our axletree in two just like a twig. Conceive our feelings at 4 oclk of as cold a Feb. afternoon as you'd wish to see. An hour before we had met abt a dozen 4 horse empty [illeg] which added to our aggravation—as we couldn't help feeling why Oh why didn't our break down take place before. Our cocher completely lost his head & swore & bit his fingers & almost wept—so diff^t. from an englishman. Then he w^d. insist upon tying it up with a bit of string & not all Godfrey & St. P. could say would make him see the folly of this. At last we made him send back to Finale for a carriage of any sort & some of us stumped ab^t. to keep life in. & some smoked by the side of the road. Poor Amy was in a headach & sat on some stones in silent endurance. At last after nearly three hours up came another string of [illeg] [illeg] & a dirty little bus from Finale wh. last we had to pay off & send back to its g^t. disgust—whilst we got into a most lovely carriage with 4 such horses. I longed to be outside & see them going, only perhaps it w^d. have been rather awful. for H.P. said we were nearly over the edge once—we swing round the sharpest curves over a sheer precipice at about 10 miles an hour with endless male carts straggling up. It was past 6 & pretty dusk—& we knew our cocher had been drinking at Noli—but the gentlemen settled it was only bold driving & we didn't m. care whether we died or lived so long as we were left in our carriage. I never saw such horses at the end of their 12 miles—which must have been at least 24 to them—they made a bolt at a little brook & it felt as if we were trying to jump it, & our axletree was proved sound at any rate. I was quite sorry when we got in—somehow I didn't feel the least hungry or tired—only a [sweetly] dreamy state & a g^t. dislike to moving & going out into the cold. Dinner at 9.30 abt was not bad when it came, & bed w^d. have been nice only for fleas & men singing outside & I suppose a non sleeping tiredness. Strange to say I didn't catch cold. Well this is a long stay & 11 oclk has struck so Goodnight dear Matthew.

Sunday 13^th.— Rain, rain, rain. Godfrey & I have just been to the post, where he has got a letter with no good news in it I'm afraid, but I shall hear more particulars when I see Amy. Both Godfrey & Amy can't particularly get over their long day, & I am afraid are both more or less [be] coldified—& if this weather goes on I don't see how they are to get out of it. Amy is following my prescription of bed & brandy, & I'm going up to see how she is getting on directly. We don't find bad weather m. less triste in Genoa than