WCP231

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset.

August 21st. 1892

My dear Violet¹

There is not much news. We have found another nice excursion. Last Thursday I, Will,² & Mr. Burdekin went to Corfe, walked to Kingston, had breakfast, arranged for a waggonette to meet us at Kimmeridge at 3.30, & started to walk there. It was cloudy, but about 11 to 12 the sun came out & our hopes rose. We got to the edge of the hills looking down on Kimmeridge Bay with just a peek of Gad Cliff, about 12.15, & saw fog over the water. In about 10 minutes it had drifted up & [2] blotted out everything. We went on; it began to drizzle, then to rain & by the time we got to the village at 12.45 it was pouring. We asked shelter in a decent kind of farmhouse, & it never ceased raining till our trap came at 3.15! A clever little girl of 5 amused us some. There was a library of very good books — such as a Treatise on Infant Baptism in 3 large volumes, — & others of like character but I took luckily found an odd volume of the — "Ecclesiastical History of the Venerable Bede" — Latin & English, and I read out five or [3] six of the earlier chapters which were both instructive & amusing, as it gave the early history of Britain, Caesar’s invasion, the life of St. Alban, and all about Ireland & snakes etc. etc.

All the way home it rained harder & harder; Will & Burdekin had no umbrellas, of course; so when we reached Corfe they had to get a dry towel & rub themselves down — then tea, & then home. Moral. Never go excursions unless the Barometer & the wind are favourable!

Just before your letter came Ma³ had gone off to Malvern. No letters have come for you.

[4] "Nat. Science" & other papers I sent to Mrs Fisher,⁴ need not be returned. If she does not want them ask her to give them away, & thus "spread the light"!

I enclose the stamps.

Will dines, teas, or sups with the Burdekins about 6 times a week. He and Burdekin are going in for the tennis tournament next month. Give my kind regards to Mrs Fisher & Believe me, | your affectionate Papa | Alfred R Wallace [signature]

P.S. The Ed.⁵ of the "Nineteenth Century" sent me £5 for my two papers,⁶ "with best thanks"!!

A.R.W.