From H. E. Litchfield to Leonard Darwin 3 March [1875]

Dear old Pouts—

It seems hardly worth while to write to you at Boston—it is so close & moreover I can't think you will be at Boston for a long time yet. We have had much debates as to whether you are wise to give up Australia & upon the whole I think you are—tho' I'm afraid it will have been very cold. I suppose you have got over the transit long ago—but your letter has reawaked our grief. It is quite pathetic only to read abt it— I see today a telegram from Kerguelen—where they seem to have had good luck. I suppose you feel as if you'd been away a long time. I screwed myself up to look forward to a year being a most immense gap, & now it seems like a flash of lightening. I hate the time galopping so. It seems as if it was hardly worth while to take so much travel to live.

Frank is just gone up to Cambridge to read his Thesis & eat Fr. Balfour fellowship dinner. Frank & Amy come here tomorrow after the thesis for a couple of days to go to Hamlet & do [larks.] & they down on Sat for a great gathering of Balfours—& Ouless to get on with the picture. We are not allowed to come as there is such a crowd & the aged P. has the gout. Poor old fellow, he threatens to resign as he calls it & I think it wd be a good thing—for there is evidently something in the place as at present constituted wh. prevents the servants staying. Little ugly George is gng to better [hiself] & James is gng too. but they have got somebody they like I believe. Our excitement in Bry St all thro' Jan & Feb has been drains—Feb [it] they did the street drains—& now we've been having our drains done on the best principles. I feel now quite learned & shall be happier all my life thro' for having some notions about P traps & D traps & all sorts of cleverness. We shall, by a great struggle, be square for the Franks. I've some hopes of getting to kno Amy a little staying her now she is not engaged to be married It was no good at all formerly. I never shall at Down what with Bessy engrossing her & there being a general scrimmage. Bessy was up on Sat going to two [larks]—if it isn't improper to call our first one a [lark]. Going to Sir C. Lyell's funeral in the Abbey. That is an honour I shd like Father to have. It is such a splendid place. I felt the ceremony was very impressive—most of it being sung. Poor old Sir C. If he knew anything abt it, I'm sure he was happy. In the evening our [larks] was down to the MacDonalds to see Macbeth acted. They have fitted up a coach house as a little Theatre—quite big enough for practical purposes— No scenery at all, only having the scene written up. It was v. enjoyable I thght. Some of the acting was amateurish—but a good deal of it quite good & Macbeth & Lady Macbeth very fine. It is such a great thing for women to be in a room & not have to raise their voices. We went last night to Sweethearts & even on such a little stage as the P. of W., are felt how coarsely every thg had to be drawn to take effect. I suppose you'll feel that in America if you go to any of their gigantic houses. Soon our excitement will be seeing & hearing the two American revivalists Moody & Sankey. They've had a hall built to hold 8000 people so I hear tell

There is no family news. W^m has a house, a new one impending but I don't believe in his house. Poor [Jenning] has been rather baddish for the last 3 weeks. Father expects to be thro' Drosera in 6 weeks—

Goodbye dear Ponts. When you read this you will be so near you'll feel as if you were at home. It is nice to think of—

You affec H.E.L.