Ɛpsilon

To A. S. Horner   [9 August 1837]

My dear Mrs. Horner

I am very sorry you should have thought of taking the trouble of writing to me to tell me not come tomorrow.— I am engaged on Friday with book work with Captain FitzRoy. Will you allow me to say Monday.— If I do not hear to the contrary I will do myself the pleasure of coming that day.— You do not know how many solemn vows you have made me break, by offering me such pleasant temptations. But after Monday I Verily vow, work I will, morning and evening.—1

Will you present with my compliments to the Miss Horners, the accompanying segment of cake,2 which I received from Shrewsbury this morning.— I opened the parcel to see if there were any letters.—

Pray tell the Miss Horners I claim a very small piece on Monday to eat out of pure brotherly affection

My dear Madam | Yours Most truly | Chas. Darwin Wednesday.—

1
Leonard Horner wrote on 20 August 1837 in a letter to his daughter, Mary Lyell: ‘We have seen Darwin several times; not as often as we could have wished, but he is working so hard that he does not go out. He had not when I saw him received any part of his MSS. in type. During the week that Dr. [J. G.] Forchhammer was in town lately, we saw him four or five times, and were much pleased with him. I have not seen anyone for a long time with a greater store of accurate knowledge.’ (K. M. Lyell, ed. 1890, 1: 337).
2
The wedding cake from the marriage of Josiah Wedgwood III and Caroline Darwin, on 1 August 1837.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

point omitted after : 1.2 ‘come’; 2.3 ‘if’; 3.1 ‘tell’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-372,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-372