From Emma Darwin to Ida Darwin 8 August [1883]

Dearest Ida

I am all alone, quite fit for a prose— W^m. off to Southampton   Sara & Marg. in London since yesterday on dentistry— Ellen & Bessy driven off in a storm of wind & some rain to call at Addington where she made an appointment & Frank & Dubsy for a walk—

A lovely day we had yesterday for the Band of Hope.

I have seen very little of Ellen alone; but I do feel that she is quite to my taste & that I shall always feel natural to her & trust her & not mind her knowing the ins & outs of family affairs. R. had a good deal of talk w. her & liked her much. W. & Sara quite take to her—

Uncle Frank has generously given Bernard a tricycle & I think he will soon be able to manage it. He writes so pleasantly about Leo & Eliz that I will copy what he says. “I have had the pleasure of meeting Leonard & his wife & I think he has done well, (& I am sure she has). She is pleasant & lively & if not pretty, so near it as does quite as well—indeed I think a pleasant expression like hers is better than beauty without that advantage. She had the great merit in my eyes of taking the trouble to be civil to a deaf old man—

Hen. seems much to approve of your Agnes; & I do believe she is a good hit. Hen. was poorlyish while here. Frank’s notions of cookery are grand & Mrs Bromwich does not quite come up to his requirements. Ellen feels alarmed on the subject— I wonder whether you have had any luck in that line— Sara is not nearly so fidgetty about Margt—but she does not leave her alone enough. M. is affable to Bernard & they have had much cricket together. I hope George is really better— He does so enjoy working hard. I fancy Claude devoted himself a good deal to pretty Miss Rendel at Abinger—

I hope dear old Horace is pretty spry— yours my dear

E.D

Frank tells me he has just told Dubsy, who cried a good deal, but made no observation & then cheered up for the rest of the walk. Please tell George—