From H. E. Litchfield to Emma Darwin [before 22 February 1887]

Dearest Mother—

I'm all right today for my play & I'll be virtuous (or wicked) & not go to my Ch org Com^ee, but stay in all day. Therm down to 32 again! I wish this ""system"" w^d break up— I killed myself calling yesterday—was out too long— Ellen looked to me pretty bad—but she said the day before she had felt better than a long time. I had to be deeply interested in Lady Mabel B's engagement & L^d B was an angel not to object as it was only to M^r Kenyon Slaney—a poorish Squire near— I seem to know the name Slaney. Did Father talk abt them? And it was so delightful of Lady Lascelles (Lady M's only sister) to be so deeply interested! How even I take it all like a lamb— Ellen is rather shocked that the whole of the B. family haven't fallen down at St Willy's feet because of this scholarship. I also saw At Fanny—looking I thght pretty well—& speaking with entire absence of [illeg] of Ida. I also saw M^rs Cookson who looks as if she enamelled. I don't think the GHD's have any loss in being whistled down the wind, tho' she's a clever little humbug. Her two themes were the degrading effects of philanthropy on the human mind how cruel you became & what a wicked thing it was to go to the East End—& the other was that the practice of surgery kept you sensitive to the sight of of physical pain. Agnes went down to Blackheath to see an ex—head mistress, & we had a quiet evening—& that is my news. I sent you a few books from Ellen.

Goodbye dear Mother. Don't let yr native rashness get the upper hand. I nearly gave Ellen a fit by telling her of yr proposition of leaving off yr jersey—

I came home to find we we had to change our Home Quartet next week wh. has given me a lot of writing to do