From H. E. Litchfield to Leonard Darwin 11 January 1875

Dear old Pouts.

Your letters of the 10^th Nov. have just appeared. It seems so funny to have you acknowledging a letter of Frank's from [Surty] wh. now seems 10 ages ago, & also not to know of your failure, "Poor diavolo" Mother said, "he is all in the dark still." It makes us feel as if we'd the gift of prophecy. Poor old Ponts, we were so sorry you. It seems such a deal of trouble wasted. I can't help suspecting you'll never get this letter for they seem to think longitudes are no good as there is no transit & I spose you'll only have to pack up your traps. We've had a nice Sunday here with the Vernon Lushes for visitors. We asked the Alexanders chiefly out of respect to your dying instructions to Jemmy, but they couldn't come so must be asked again. Jane was in very good spirits & answered us all, but Father now loses a good deal of miscellaneous talk, I can't tell why, not quite from deafness

Vernon as usual rather set upon Father & did him too much. But I don't think Father w^d. mind anythg if he didn't stand over him. Father backs & backs in his chair & V. only stands the closer & at last actually leant with both arms on the arms of his chair so that Father was actually driven to bay. I can't think how they'll manage abt the education of the children as time mvs on—

M^r Vernon teachg regular orthodoxy & Vernon every now & then dashing is all to pieces. She told me yesterday she hoped she shd never have a son for she thought there wd be great difficulties in his education. William seems pretty nearly right again from his cold. He & Jemmy were very happy as usual. Today we've been i a grand cutterie of laurels, to the disgust of some of the family. Also we've been concocting a letter for Father to write to Mivart. Everybody has had a shy at it & a word from everybody's fuel has been patched together & I think has made a good letter. He's reason for writing it is that he wants to be sure that Mivart will agree to a cut—for if not & they were to meet in the Linnean or anywhere else & Mivart was to come & shake hand with him he should hurck him down & go into a tremendous passion & I think he wd. Huxley's article in the Academy is delightful, & only that it will be so stale you ought to read it when you come home & see how nicely he cuts Mivart into little pieces.

Did I ever ask you to keep your ears open if you could as to what sort of prospect there wd be of a family gettg on as Father Mother & 9 children on £700 a year in N.Z.? W^d. they be very poor on that? Poorer than in England for instance? & wd there be any chance of the father soliciting gettg anything to do, in the way of a place or anything else. There wd be better openings for the sons, but is there a decent opening for girls nanying? They are prettyish & quite young. It is our Tukes I think would do so much better to emigrate—not that they will I think, but I shd like to know facts. Don't answer this by writing only I'll have a talk over it when you come home.

I suppose you read your papers so I needn't mention there has been a revolution in Spain. Father is pretty well. Mother not so well as in the frost. Goodye dear Leo. your | H.S.L.

They dine at Holwood on Wednesday.

We weren't 10 minutes so you could hardy have done it quicker at a Registry office. Dicky couldn't come for some reason & Edwal didn't turn up no one knew why so there were only 3 Rucks & us including M^r B. W^m. Jem & self & R. Amy looked as if she was a lamb going to the slaughterhouse before hand but as soon as it was over, she was perfectly comfortable & happy & as if she had been married all her life. Frank looked very beaming. We went back to the lodgings & had some of the cake of wh. I sent you a tiny scrap in one of their stephanotis flowers. We came away before 12 but they, most wonderful of bridal couples, were going to stay on till the night mail train & then go right through to Geneva! This seems to all the rest of us a most funny plan.

Such a flash of lightening we've just had, & now the rain is coming down & it looks terribly bad for our Excursion [(WM.C.]) tomorrow to Ashstead— The weather has been slowly breaking up for some days & so if it does come on it will probably continue. I shall be very sorry for ourselves if it does rain. It seems so hard when there has been a great deal of fine weather. It will be aggravatg for the Parents too if their Abinger visit which begins tomorrow is a rainy one.

We have just put off our start abroad for a bit. I don't think we shall go till the 21^st Aug. I have been rather tired lately & shall enjoy a 3 weeks in London after everybody I hear is out of it, & I thk it will get me rested. I've got a foreign Courier who is warranted to be every thg we want & that will make a great difference in Berry's & my comfort. I thk we shall probably go over into Italy. I'm afraid George isn't much better he wasn't well enough to come to the wedding.

By the way Lawrence Steel is thro' all right wh. is a great comfort. I hope he may acquire some gumption & make a tolerable soldier for H.M. We are a good deal excited about Politics now. The tories are showing the Clover foot & behaving with the most audacious effrontery about the Endowed school commissioner. If they go on as they've begun I guess we shall have the Liberals in again before the 7 years everyone gave the tories.

Goodye dear old Pouts.

Your most affec | H.S.L.