From H. E. Litchfield to Leonard Darwin 9 December 1876

Dear Pouts.

It is ages since I have written. I've been sick & now I believe I'm well again, & I ought to be for it is most lovely winter weather, warm & muggy & wet, & today even bright & warm. I think November is altered since I was young, it used to be the warm month & now it is constantly bitter cold & last windy. It was just like March this year. We are ging home today tho ' tis Saturday chiefly to receive old W^m who is coming up toothing. He has deserted Cronin & gone over to the camp of the Whouses. Bessy & I have too— I certainly found that Cronin wasn't doing the best for me. He c^dn't find a hole into wh. when the tooth was pulled out I c^d have put my little finger. I feel rather sad at leaving little Cronin—he was such a nice quiet man—& the great W. house is so dear. Not that I really m. mind only it [is] a bad look in my classed accounts. I cant understand how any body takes any pleasure in saving unless they can see the results in classed accounts.

When we came here we thght Annie had got typhoid—thank goodness it isn't, but some sort of funny feverish attack wh. is nothing at all. We thought at first it was smallpox as she was all over pustules. We were so thankful to have our little niece Emmie out of the house on the smallpox night. She was luckily away paying a visit & we've kept her away till now. She is coming home on Monday to finish her stay till Xmas— I thk R. & I shall feel quite flat without her—as one gets on in years youth becomes v. attractive & she is a v. nice little soul. Uncle Ras, who never sees a girl without wishing to marry her to somebody, says she is to be married to W^m. & the means are to send her to Sthampton to pay a visit alone

The last match for Ida is Herbert Spencer. He says he is very sorry for her, but it is her duty. Has anybody told you of the Lily Whichelo marriage to Ed^d. Foster. There has been great excitement in all the family & Noel says he thght she w^d. be dng something of that sort soon. I'm v. sorry for Laura to have such a nothingy sister-in-law. The other brother Willy is gng to marry a rich middle aged woman, so altogether Laura isn't very cheerful.

Frank has gone away for a little visit to Horace at Erith which he seems to like & it must be a little change for him—so I've not seen how he is—but I thght he looked rather more worn the half hour I saw him— The baby is most flourishing—& a most jolly little fellow. If war doesn't break out & you come home, you'll find him qu. a human being even to the male mind. I've just been finishing the siege of Delhi & I was rather horror struck to see how the Engineers got killed. It won't be nice for us in a private spirit if there is—unless you are kept minding the forts at Malta & gnashing y^r teeth with envy. But I don't thk we can fight— This triumphant coming in of liberals in Sch. Board of London is held by the Politicians to be a great victory— I wish somebody whom I cd believe in w^d tell me whether we must stop the Russians having Constantinople. I dont see why as far as we are concerned—& I do thk you cant expect the Russians to be content till they can are allowed to get out of the Black sea.

The digging the foundations of the addition to [House] is gng on briskly, & the new Horse answers.

Goodbye dear Ponts

your | H.E.L.