WCP297

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset.

Nov[embe]^r. 24^th. 1897

My dear Violet¹

I sent you a "Clarion"² for the nice article on the "Pantheon"³ which I suppose you saw in Paris.

I do not think the Marshalls⁴ will come, but I will ask them. I have been dreadfully busy, & the days are now too short to do my work, as besides Orchids ^{& letters, & newspapers} & magazines &c. I have 12 Diagrams to draw out for Engraver (Antivaccination) except which can only be done in daylight. Ma⁵ is learning to tricycle & I want you to bring your bicycle & teach her that, so that she may know which she will really like best, & then I am going to buy her one. It will give her exercise with less fatigue & I am [2] sure will do her good. We have a fair lot of books now in, but may get another ^lot before ‘Xmas. You will perhaps be horrified to hear that I actually could not get on with your favorite Ian Maclaren’s Kate Carnegie!⁶ I read Brigadier Gerard⁷ as it came out & it was very good. I cannot get those old books again where ten to one you will not have time to read them. Very likely they may be had ^{(some of them)} from the Poole Library. The Sharpes have been home a long time. I sent you Will’s⁸ last Post-card. His address is Post Office, Denver, Col. U.S.A

We are expecting a letter on the way there soon. The cats are all right. Cats always are. They never want enquiring about till they get over [3] 12 years old.

General Dunn is building a fine new orchid house & is going in for them largely. Mr. Oakley has cause to live in Castle Eve also a Captain and a Colonel, the Captain half cracked from Sunstroke. We had an interviewer a week or two back for the "Bookman" — Also a Phrenological⁹ interviewer, who not only read my "nob", but read Nunquam’s¹⁰ photo., also Will’s & Mac’s, and Mr. Swinton’s,¹¹without knowing the least who any of them were. All wonderful, considerablying the difficulty of detecting the minute details of form of head, on which character depends, from a photo. [4] You shall see them when you come. A fortnight back I received by parcel post from Plymouth a basket of orchids, & by soaking the Postage label off the luggage label I found "Burrel, Cabin". Last week I had a letter from him only saying he had brought me a few at Will’s request, but not a word about himself. So I wrote asking thanking him and asking for some account of his adventures, which I could send on to Will. At intervals I have been experimenting at the Argand candle¹² but cannot get it right yet. If I had a mechanic to make the candle holder as I wanted it I could soon find out what was needed, but Cox has done it wrong, so I must get some other man. Kind regards to Eleanor. The sheet is filled, so farewell for the present hour.

Your affect[iona]^te Pa | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]