From Elizabeth Darwin to Horace Darwin [late 1879]

Dear Horace

I have had a letter from Rose to day in which she speaks of your spending a giggling afternoon at Barlaston so I suppose you had a prosperous visit. What a good thing you had such a prosperous visit at Dilhorn. We had a very quiet Sunday as Lenny did not come our only excitement was Aunt Elizabeth & Amy Wedgwood coming to dinner when Amy chattered on a very continual flow as usual. I am going to lunch at Holwood to day & in the afternoon I am going to London & shall have a day's shopping tomorrow, & perhaps I shall see Ida. Have you seen any house yet that would do & is the Saturday with the older woman fixed yet? I have been trying to spur up mother to fix our season in London but have not quite succeeded yet, it is to be four days in Queen Anne & 4 days at Henrietta's. I am sure father must be wanting a change by this time, not that he is particularly bad but on general principles.

Ubadubber still spends all his time painting with dry paint brushes a most harmless amusement, but I never did hear anything like his stream of questions & Maryanne says it goes on all day long which must be very fatiguing but I don’t suppose she troubles to answer half. Frank is going to take him to Brighton tomorrow to see Mrs Ruck. I am afraid the account of poor little Robert isnt good—he has reumatics in his shoulder & as his temperature has risen it looks as if it might be the beginning of reumatic fever.

Your's dear Horace | Bessy

Aunt Eliz. was thinking of giving you an atlas but we told you had a good one.