From H. E. Litchfield to Emma Darwin 9 September [1873]

Dearest Mother

Here we are & I did give the right address after all.

Monday morning turned out to be fine & I not tired so we settled not to sleep our two nights at Lauterbrunnen but go right up. I got a splendid horse who seemed to enjoy scrambling up & could hardly be made to wait long enough for R. & the guide to come up with me. It does make such a difference in the pleasure to feel that your horse isn’t unhappy under you. We enjoyed the way up exceedingly   I do think this is the finest part of all Switzerland—& so I suppose one would always find that the multitude do find out the best places. Such a multitude as it is! As we passed the principal Hotel it looked like a sort of beehive of brown coated guides & tourists swarming about. As if the Valley wasn’t really wide enough to hold ’em. We lunched on our way up & got here at 2 o’clk just as the clouds began to gather up & in about an hour or two it got gloomy & began to rain off & on for the rest of the afternoon. By great good luck we had got a room with a fire in it. The old salon tell Bessy— if she remembers it—& so we sat round it very comf reading our bookies. There is a bran new Hotel sprung up & a great defendance to the old Hotel we were in. The landlord doesn’t look at all different & they have the same pretty looking blk horse. I am afraid I shan’t go the walks again Bessy & I took last time. It is rather a comfort to find what a very difft amount of strength I had then because it may come back again.

Today it is mist close up to the house. R. is reading a novel & I’m waiting here till our room is done when I shall go & warm my feet which are like stones. The fire here is taken up by an old gent who looks as if it was his post for the day.

There are 3 people here we know. one Austin Leigh of Kings. The other a foolish little chattering clerk of the War Office & a retired Alpinist. The kind man saw my feet were cold & has given me his seat & your letter has come in of Sat. The letter in which you copy out D^r A Cl. I hadn’t heard it before & was v.m. interested. It was a very nice answer. I do hope Father will be virtuous. R.s virtue has gone to the winds but it is too much to expect anything different. Post is going so Goodbye

your H.E.L.

I am not at all tired with my travelling