From W. E. Darwin to Emma Darwin [31 January 1875]

My dear Mother,

Thank you for your letters: I am glad G. had a pleasant stay at the Cooksons, he is now at Cam. I suppose.

As to your portrait, on the whole I am against spectacles. It would be more characteristic certainly, but I fancy it would make you look more severe, & [Ouless] seemed to fancy them so much that there is risk of his subordinating other things to make the spectacles effective; but I should like to hear Hen's opinion

I have had a pleasant talk to M^rs [Moffit], Col. Gordon's sister today, she says a ridiculous fuss is made about [Abon] [sound], He was talking to the [Khedire] about the expedition & heard from the KhedireQQQQ the [Abon] was a scoundrel or [that] [Babes] said so, the [Khedire] asked Gordon to cross examine him, & he found he was so well up in the country & would be useful so he got the [Khedire] to spare him as his servant. Gordon merely mentions afterward that he found he was a liar & dishonest so he told him he should not employ him any more. Baker's letter to Gordon fully detailing [Abon's] [rascality] did not reach Gordon (from an 8 months delay in his agent at Alexandria) till after he had done with [Abon].

It seems wonderful how he is getting on; all the chiefs except one (whom he is going to starve into friendship) are great friends, now there is quiet colonists are coming & inhabitants returning for cultivation, he is introducing special payment & persuading them to give up barter, & he gives an instance how quickly they took in the idea. He says that by & by a fine revenue [will] come into the [Khedire]. all slavery gangs are stopped when he can [manage] it, but in some cases the slaves begged to be allowed to go on. It is bringing up a lot of little orphans & deserted boys; M. & M. told me our funny story of his trying to persuade a man to get back his boy. [This] man & his wife had stolen a cow which they ate, and after it was eaten their owner found them out so they gave him their boy to make it all right, so Gordon asked them whether they would like the boy back, so they replied it was all fair that they had [the] cow & the owner ought to have the boy. So Gordon said, but you have eaten the cow would you not like your boy back now; so they said the cow had been so awfully good to eat that they thought the boy was only fair payment.

I am afraid I shall not come home next Sunday. I find a days hunting now & then shakes out my [lives] so well & [briskens] me up so wonderfully. & coming home for Saturday & Sunday practically cuts me out for 3 weeks. I [send] you the car? for our fall, which every body says was splendid I got to bed at 3, but it was kept up till 5.30.

your [affectionate] | W^m[illeg]