From H. E. Darwin to Emma Darwin 27 September [1870]

Dearest Mother—

I feel as if there was a good deal t be said & first to thank u & Lizzie for ur joint letter & the Spec One has missed, perhaps it has gone to Chateaux d Oix along with ur letter wh. I am getting very low about. We have written for it twice. I shall write yet [oust] again & then give it up—poor dear letter. I believe it is the only letter I have missed, wh. I thk a QQQQ. Elinor has lost two in the most provoking way—i.e. the Postmasters not really looking for the letters wh. were really there all the time. ⁠⟨⁠⁠⟨⁠I appreciate⁠⟩⁠⁠⟩⁠ the Specs very much, as we find we cannot scrabble for the Times—or if we do we can't [abear] to read them—m. especially the Spanish telegrams wh. are such tiresome reading owing to knowing none of the names, wh. is my melancholy case, except tht I've a faint idea Prim is popular. I thk I am very unlucky to miss all ur gay doins at Down—& I wish I was there to help you in scrimmage—poor Mother I fear I shan't be home on the 12^th.—at least not without constraining Elinor m. than is pleasant. 7 weeks is up on the 19^th. & we will be home then if the Hookers cant come even a day later. Tuesday the 20^th. w^d. be better—as t arrive on Sunday in Paris w^d.n't be quite so convenient. I sh^d. like to be at home for their visit if it possibly can be managed wh. I am dreadfully afraid it can't. Please tell me when you know. It is very noble of u to take M^rs. F. F. to the Nortons. but do take care not to make her visit too pleasant, or it will be getting a biennial affair. Thank Lizzie for telling me the [⁠⟨⁠⁠⟨⁠]⁠⟩⁠⁠⟩⁠ affair an long & an large. I call it v. cool & just what I sh^d. expect. The next time I'm asked Lizzie shall accept my invitation since sisters are interchangeable articles— I danced wildly round on hearing tht u'd actually told 'em not to come on Tuesday. If only I c^d. have written the letter for u! but tht u sh^d. have done the deed is something—& practice makes perfect & u'll find the next snub that may be required—say in a fortnights' time—come m. easier.

We'd just got our feathers smoothed down after the battle of the letters & now here they are to be all up again. There really never is time eno' allowed for them to lie quite flat—& so I don't thk u need wonder at mine now being always on the bristle— It will just prevent the visit being any use by way of Lizzie's getting m. intimate with [⁠⟨⁠⁠⟨⁠]⁠⟩⁠⁠⟩⁠ I'm glad t hear Amy isn't damped by leaving the military. I envy her trim smart look so m. now. What with having no [clo] added to my normal difficulties I can't get up t Pension pitch at all at all. When we fish for compliments from Sarah—she will only say tht we look clean—not even as high as tidy. Some of the peoples dress here is outragious—& every body very elegant— All sorts of trim recherché suits wh. if Anne was here I sh^d. like to have copied. The 2^nd. day there was a ball & yesterday a concert. The ball was very good fun—a very good band wh. makes its living by going from hotel to hotel—& lovely floor–-& the Vernon Lushingtons to amuse us. We met with them at Montreux in a state of utter doubt as t where t go to & told them t come up here. She is a very amusing woman & very pretty to look at tho' not at all pretty—5ft 10 in height & a graceful drooping figure, as they say in novels, just like a tall lily. Oh! she is such a ⁠⟨⁠⁠⟨⁠contrast⁠⟩⁠⁠⟩⁠ to little M^rs. Beatrice. She is tht sort of woman whose amusingness partly consists in not minding what she says & if it occurred to her to say a such thing she would—or a rather unrefined thing too I guess. Then she has got a sort of eagle eye tht takes you all in in one moment & she c^d. I'm sure tell u exactly every grade of fault ur [illeg] has had since she has seen u—how ur gown is gored etc etc—& I don't feel at all happy under tht sort of inquisition. All the same I'm very glad she is here both cos I like to talk to her & to look at her—she has got the most mobile face I ever saw & tht is such a charm. Then we know Louisa Erskine & the people she is with a M^r. & M^rs. Shore. He is an amiable fool but doesn't dance badly—she is a dressy ditto— Her costume the night of the ball was white satin with pink satin russian jacket—masses of red hair bound up with every conceivable variety of beads—she has a very striking profile with great dark violet eyes & sitting on a very low ottoman she looked liked a dazzling arabian night beauty & we c^d.n't take our eyes off her. In the daylight she is a mortal alas! Then there is the mephistophelian Blumenthal t look at & his aunt who is an aged beauty & also dressed for effect—generally a blk gown with very full crimson sleeves—fuzzy grey hair & a gold comb & a good many gold bangles she is tall & looks a russian princess or else an artists model. Then we have a young lady of 16 who is 6ft 3in & who plays the violin very well—knows Jo & is going to to have a few lessons of him. She wants M^rs. Vernon to accompany her wh. M^rs. V. won't do—tho' I'm sure if she did she w^d.n't let us hear & I do so dreadfully want to hear this girl. Everybody here will keep their lights so under bushels  There is Blumenthal M^rs. Vernon as pianists this girl as violin—& M^rs. Shore to sing & I know I shan't hear one of 'em— I shall go on with [our] notorieties cos it is raining so m. I can't talk about out of doors.

Then there are some austrian nobles—two of 'em dance deliciously & they danced the whole evening together & were very pretty to watch. I thk they certainly were [engagees] there was such rapture on their faces & such fire in their movements—& so the ball was very good fun & I got a good deal of dancing considering I knew nobody. Our concert last night was Tyrolian & indifferently good—but I'd never heard a Zither & it brot a faint whiff of [Quits] with it—tho' it wasn't a good one. How it rains! can I bear to go to English service in the Hotel— I meant to have gone to Montreux & the protestant service—praps as I've got my silk gown on I'd better—but I don't love a service in a hotel— Yesterday was the loveliest day I ever saw— El. drew so I set off at 11 with a book for a companion but I read not—

The side of the hill is chesnuts now laden with [illeg] great spiky yellow fruit which makes the trees have quite a diff^t. character from ours. I went up & up with views of the lake at every turn. yesterday the most lovely blues greens & purples—there were the most lovely soft feathery white clouds forming & dissolving every moment & at the same time the most brilliant sunshine— The walks here are most delicious—so wonderfully luxuriant & park like & such fairy like views of the lake— If you get high eno' you get to the firs— I very nearly did—only dinner is at 2 & I had to come home— Jaman, that the Spectator talks about is first above us. Then we have one Snowy mountain the Dent du Midi to make our view perfect. I was a little disappointed at first— It seemed too tame—but I have quite got over that now. One of the greatest beauties is the Sunsets. They are over the lake. Yesterday we had such a one to finish our lovely day—first gold & then lingering crimson glowing & paling for ages after the sun was down—& till the moon was quite bright to light us home. We went a very little way having sat talking with M^rs. Vernon ever so long. indeed I didn't want a 2^nd. long walk. M^rs. Vernon gave us an instance of her eyes & her critical memory. She said about Effie Oh. she seems to do every thing well but one & that is dress—& then she proceeded to describe a certain dress on a particular day when I had happened to be in London & start her for tht party & c^d. certify to the accuracy of her description as to the make of the dress in every particular. It gave me quite a turn. M^r. V. has got her feelings well under control. She has left a 2 year old baby & she has made no arrangements for getting letters  If the baby was dying nobody in England could send for her or let her know of its decease.

I hope the 19^th. will do. I sh^d. find it rather horrid to coerce Elinor home. Write me your views  I hope you'll have got thro' pretty well. Goodbye dear M. | love to everybody— Nobody says how Papa