My dear F.

Bernard is quite jolly: as Bessy is away & mother has been headachy & is in bed to day, the house is very dull for him, but I never in all my life saw so contented a little man, for he seems quite happy.— One great amusement is scheming about an army with elephants, camels, cannons—Bombs & God knows what, to besiege Strasburg, until at last D^r. De Bary is compelled to say “M^r. Dada you must go home at once”.—¹

I have been working the whole of this morning at your corrections of Ch., II. They are all excellent, & all but one accepted.—² You make everything as clear as daylight, but it distresses me that you sh^d. have such labour.— I think that I could find the pencil crosses; but you certainly save me all trouble.— I hope Ch. III. despatched yesterday will not be so troublesome; anyhow it is shorter.—

There is a roll of old & very dirty M.S. from the Linnean Soc^y. come addressed to you, all about the machine—clinostat—with the old drawings—³ I suppose that you do not want it, but it shall be preserved.—

I am very tired—so good Bye. | C. Darwin