From Emma Darwin to Horace Darwin 28 [January 1873]

My dear Horace

Your last letters have been much more comfortable, tho’ neither of you 2 poor boys seem much to boast of. I am glad you have dealings w. the Oxford man, & if George can manage the table d’hote, seeing one’s fellow creatures if they are ever so dull is better than nothing   The poor lovyers took their departure yesterday, Frank conveying Amy to the Miss Bartons   He looked so dismal that I think he c^d not be well, tho’ I dare say the break up of her long stay had something to do with it. They took their last ride on Friday, she on Tommy, who went so perfectly well that it was almost provoking to hear of. Poor Bessy is rather dismal too, as Amy is wonderfully kind in not letting her feel herself cut out, & so she is a great loss. We had the Litches, W^m & Lenny on Sat. Wm’s departure to Rome w. Dr Sturgis is fixed for Feb. 27 & he will either go or return by the Riviera & Cannes to see you   probably return, as it will be by far the most beautiful part of his journey & he had better see it in March than in Feb—

We have had no rain for 4 days!! & frost & bright sun for 3 days, very pleasant weather. I send off the Contemp. today & your Engineer you will have received. Alfred & his wife called the other day at L.H.P. I suppose they did not look v. smart as the butler told Sophy that a man & woman were at the door & sh^d he shew them into the servants’ hall— Most luckily Sophy told him to shew them in, or it w^d have been horrid. They were v. tidy & quiet & stayed about 2 hours & drove off—

Hensleigh & Effie are gone today to see them & they have already had a visit from John. Scott who thought they looked v. comf—which does not go for much— W^m. was v. sorry to have missed Moncure Conway, but I believe he is going to give a lecture at S—ton & W^m will try to get him to Bassett.

We had a pleasant 2 or 3 hours from Jane Norton [SYMBOL FOR YESTERDAY] she is certainly one of the pleasantest women I know. She told us that Arthur Sedgwick had gone to N. York to conduct a newspaper, but he disapproved so m. of the ways of the paper that he gave it up, but is still in New York doing something in the literary or journalistic way. We are just finishing Butler & find it v. striking & interesting in the latter part; but I am very angry w. him for giving such horrible stories about the brutality to the dogs, which one cannot forget. I believe he is a human man, but he tells it in rather a jocose way—

F's face is still bad & it makes his nights v. bad from irritation & restlessness, but I think it gives him some vigour. I am going today to pay my call on Mr^s Fry & I rather expect that she will talk over her troubles & tell me whether she is going to leave Baston.

Frank was haunted at the ball with the fear that Bessy wd fall into the jaws of the 6 Mess^rs Hyde, but nothing of the sort happened—

yours my dear Sonnies | E. D