From Elizabeth Darwin to G. H. Darwin [8 October 1873]

Dear George,

The enclosed bill came to day, and was opened by Father by mistake. Father and mother went up to London to day very early to see Dr Clarke— he is very well satisfied with Father and tells him to keep on with the same diet— he does not seem to think anything of his getting thin and says his pulse is very good; he paid great attention to his account of Horace. Horace is coming down here to night so we shall hear waht Dr C's opinion of him is. The Allen house is now nearly certainly Franks unless Mr Hacon can finds any flaws in the lease. Mr Allen went up to London on Monday to see the agent—and on Tuesday the agent wrote to Father saying that Mr Allen would much rather let it to Father than to a stranger. It is a much nicer place than I fancied and I think they will be very comfortable there.

Dr Hooker was very pleasant on Sunday, he talked a great deal about Twndal's fierce letter in Nature— he has seen a 2^nd letter from Tyndal ending with an insult of Lockyard—which I thought he must publish or else Tyndal would call him a coward—but Dr H persuaded him that he was not bound to open his paper to abuse of himself—so Tyndal's 2^nd letter (and also a 2^nd letter from the man whom he abused I forget his name) were both suppressed.

On Sunday afternoon we all went over the Allen house which was good fun— we had asked Amy to come and have a look at it, but she could not leave home which was a pity.

Yours ever | E Darwin