From Emma Darwin to Horace Darwin [7 May 1873]

My dearest Old Man

I am so glad you have been so well, & u must find it so pleasant to be able to work.

I hope u are having a jolly day in London, & I will write this to Hen’s.

About yr shoes Parslow wrote at once to Mr Wood, so if you have not got them u had better write to him

Mr W. Wellington Road

St Mary Cray

He told Mr W. to send them to u at Cam.

The verandah is getting on, but we have had a few misfortunes 1stly the house is crooked & the N. window is 2$\frac{1}{2}$ inches above the S. so as the verandah is straight it looks crooked, but by means of coaxing & altering window sills &c I think it will be remedied to the eye—

The panelling at the end is also too deep, but we must have creepers & chairs. We had a nice Sat. & Sunday w. Lenny W. & Litches.

Yesterday I had a solemn visit from the 2 Miss Allens bringing a very solemn letter from Mr Nash to Mr Allen saying he had been taking down Mr Ff.s words last Sunday mg & they were so tremendously high about the sacrament that he meant to appeal to the Arch— & so Mr Allen wished to know whether I wd sign— I declined— I should have a bad life of it if I memorialised the Arch— every time I disagreed w. a sermon   If a man is High Church he must preach according & it was just the sort of sermon we used to have constantly from Mr Innes & we were none the worse—

Poor old G. has had some bad days— Yesterday he tried eating every hour & did not hate it so m. as I expected, but had a v. bad night.

Today Bessy & I go to lunch w. Snow & Effie at At Eliz & they are coming to dine w. us. F. says the formic acid is all done for & no results. He is a little bit better but not much.

Dr Clarke entirely failed again in sending the money. You must make Hen. tell you of his funny midnight visit when he cd not have been quite sober—

Whitworth sent £150

We shall want to hear about Maudsley's workshop—