WCP260

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset.

Jan[uary]. 31^st. 1895

My dear Violet,¹

It is quite a cold, frosty, and thick snow here as with you, but we manage to keep warm. Ma² is sending you your vest. Is there any thing more to pay on the bag, & is it the 26 inch one, or 24 in[ch]. the same as yours. In his last letter Will³ says that when this job is finished he is to go on to Glasgow on another job, so he will see a lot of Scotland.

My Evolution⁴ article is half out this month — my "Language"⁵ article [2] will not be out then [for] 3 months at least. Mrs. Evans says business is so bad they are obliged to sell their pictures & probably their house too!

The other day Ma felt a strong impression, all day, that she was going to the Cape! So perhaps something is going to turn up for you there, as that is the only thing I can imagine would take us. You had better try hard & pass the final Exam, as with that, & 2 1/2 years exclusive charge of a K.G. at Liverpool, you would have a good chanyce [3] of getting a good K.G. all to yourself.

We ago are going to have a chess match — Poole & Parkstone against Bournemouth — 6 gentlemen & 2 ladies on each side — probably in 3 week's or a month’s time. A new good player has come from London— lives beyond Constitution Hill — & that enables us to make up six. No doubt we shall be beaten, but it will be interesting. I send you the R. of R. there is ^a fine article in it on "Merry England"⁶ & Mr. [4] Blatchford.⁷

We see Mrs. Maclachlan 2 .. 3 ^{or 4 or 5,} times a week. Hamish is very flourishing now; but I think they are going soon to the seaside somewhere before returning to Hindhead.

Did I tell you that Mr. Mott was so pleased with my versical answer to his Enigma that he has sent it to lots of his friends — Only one person besides us answered right, & he sent it to 150! How clever we are!!

Your affectionate Pa | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

Take-great-care-of-your-cold-that-is-lose-it-at-once.

A.R.W. [signature]

P.S. I have just looked at the paper & see the death of Dr. Fisher — last Monday — age 75. Write to Mrs. Fisher soon & condole.⁸

A.R.W. [signature]