From H. E. Darwin to Emma Darwin 3 March 1870

Dearest Mother—

I'm astonished to hear you were ever m. than a week without hearing from me. I am sure I have never been so long without writing—& I can't help thinking that some letter must have missed, but as I haven't put down when I have written—& as I get wildly [mungled] between writing to u & Hope both so much of a journal as I do I can't be sure— U never have told me things 2^ce. to the best of my belief. I hope I may be in the same case—but I often feel v. doubtful as t where I left off— I thk I will try & put down my dates too. Many thanks for P. Budget & Sir J.L. As for Daily's, tis no matter for I see the Langtons Times with no trouble, ⁠⟨⁠⁠⟨⁠as⁠⟩⁠⁠⟩⁠ it happened I read up many old Times at Menton. I thk Sir J. L.'s speech was excellent—but I confess I don't thk he was quite honest ab^t. game. He meant to give the impression he was agst it—& he has no business t do that as long as he lets his bro^r. preserve on his estate. It will be v. curious to see how he gets on. I'm glad M^rs. H. joined in the glory. I spose Parslow was enormously excited. I'm v. sorry the cob has failed. I don't thk u can judge as long as they are clipped & up & have corn. Remember that [Jemmy]—the immaculate—one winter shied & pranced so he had to be cut off all corn—& he wasn't clipped. I thk my last was from Menton after our expedition up to gorge San Louis. Monday it poured—all the way here & all afternoon. Godfrey's feelings were not to be described on finding an unaccountable delay in his money. Only conceive they have had t wait till today—Thursday—& now they are just gone off in a whirl wind—bus failing—Amy walking—Godfrey galopping up in a fly—luggage already gone. I hope they will all converge eventually at the station. The Langtons come back today wh. I am glad of. Our society here is duller than ducks—a Col & M^rs. Baring & her sister Miss Graham & some invalids who don't show. The Col doesn't consider us fit to speak to—& literally these 3 nights when we have dined a party of 6, he has not even said one word to any of us. Godfrey the 1^st. night made a kind of opening—but as the Col. refused take advantage of it said no more. The absurd thing is that we are v. good friends with his wife & sister—in—law—but he is absolutely unconscious of our presence. If it was the [deadest] cut he couldn't more studiously avoid [illeg] to catch our eye. Miss Graham might be nice if she w^d. take the trouble. M^rs. Baring a nobody much dressed. Uncle Ch. was rather huffed at Miss Graham asking him to go a walk with her— He said to G. ""why she must think me quite an old codger to propose such a thing."" Isn't this funny? He also seemed to think 2 little girls of 7 or 8 w^d. be scolded for coming into his bedroom t see what it was like—for the impropriety he meant—which is funnier still— The 1^st. night I got here, I found I was to be next Col. Baring—v. nice room to the southwest—beaut view of the Estrelles with the picturesque old town in front—& sunsets seen v. well—but I found a fearful skeleton in the cupboard. That Col. B. snores so frightfully sleep is impossible. You hear it really as if u were in his room—stentorian 

Many thanks for nice longy dated Sat.