From Elizabeth Darwin to Horace Darwin 12 February 1873

My Dear Horace.

I envy you your weather at Cannes it does sound so delicious sitting out and dawdling about. Here we have it very cold and nasty. We were very glad to get your letters yesterday and to hear that you were better. You two poor boys go up and down like a sew saw when one is better the other is worse. Father wishes George to be told that he did him a very good turn in recommending him jerseys he finds them very comfortable though at first he felt as if he was going to be smothered.

About the tobacco Mother and Father both think it better not to send it as it is contraband. Edmund said he would be very to take it but as they are very strict it would be very like to be seized he thought. So Mother does not think it fair as it might cause him some bother. The Langtons will be at Cannes in about a fortnight I think or perhaps sooner they are going to wait for good weather I believe so it is uncertain in fact when they come. Miss Grimstone or Brimstone as Hope calls her is coming. Uncle Charles says it is only for her sake that Lena goes but that I should think was not true. In one way I think her coming will be a good thing for you as Edmund I should think would be very glad of companions if Lena is taken up with her beloved.

I am going to be so spirited as to go up once a week for a lecture on French history. I come into the middle of a course so I shall only get about six.

Next week Louisa Kempson is coming here at least we have asked her, in the beginning of March she is going to have Striknine injected in the skin round her eyes. It quite cured a girl in Germany who had paralysis of the eyes which is the same as Louisa has. However I am afraid there isnt much chance of it's curing, her what a blessing it would be if she got her sight poor creature.

We are going up to London for our month in the middle of March and the Litches are going to find us a house. Father made an effort to get out of it yesterday but was squashed he wanted to have only a week at Queen Anne.

F heard yesterday from Murray and got a thousand and fifty pounds for the first seven thousand of the expression book, which seems splendid. The Enigmas shall come by post also G's law books, and we will send the contemp. when we have read it, there seem to be a good many good articles in it. I suppose you are going to Dr Frank as well as G you don't tell us.

Well goodbye dear Jim | Yours ever. | Bessy.