My dear Father,

I received the enclosed wonderful rigmarole a few days ago from M^rs. Noel, & think it w^d. amuse you to see it.¹ Tho’ it borders on the silly, yet there is something I like about it. I answered back at almost equal length, in great part in an endeavour to explain away y^r. treatment of W.A.D., with which she is obviously hurt.² I said that your information was almost wholly taken from E.D’s correspondence & that W.A.D’s name hardly occurred there, showing that there was but little intercourse between the brothers, & accordingly that you were literally correct in saying “of whom I know nothing”, but I believed you regretted the form & implication thereof & w^d. probably modify in a future edit. wh. however w^d. probably not be called for. I also said you were anxious not to overburden the book with family details for which sort of statement the public do not care. I hope this will have expressed y^r. views fairly well & will have smoothed her down a little. It is strange that she sh^d. have thought it worth while to send the catalogue of pictures sold, which must have been astonishing rubbish.³ The copies of the poems have come too & are as far as I can judge rather good.⁴

I have promised to send her copies of the M.S. when I go home & have begun by sending her the printed copy of the Waring Inventory.⁵ This I also sent to Reg^d. D. & received the enclosed letter back⁶   I have her two account books which do not possess much interest; they appear however to contain the original memo. as to the receipts for medical practice wh. you have given in the book.⁷

I am rather sorry Leo. did’nt ask young Noel over from Chatham once even tho’ he is a beast.⁸ I seem to have got rather in to the thick of all these cousins & think I must pay a round of visits.

When I was at Glasgow Sir W. introduced me to a man in his Laboratory & said in his impulsive way that I sh^d. be delighted to show him our lab^y. here, to which I cd’nt but agree.⁹ I only saw the man for a minute & shd’nt have known him again. However he inflicted himself on me today. I gave him luncheon & walked him to the laboratory & after I had gone about a little, left him with the demonstrator. I have been so ill today that I had to explain that I c^d.’nt go about at all. In fact I have been dosing in an armchair almost all afternoon & am dining in my room.

I really did think yesterday I was better as I did some work for a wonder, but it was only a case of “reculer pour mieux sauter” & I caught it worse than ever at night.¹⁰

Last night in hall I sat next a M^r. Gildersleeve Prof. of Greek at the Johns Hopkins University, a pleasant man and (you had better read altho’ to Sara) a Southerner.¹¹ I am almost interested in hearing about America from the S. point of view. This man had been badly wounded & he said he suffered much more from deprivation in private life than he did with the army, showing the straits they were put to.¹² After dinner I came across a little Frenchman, a friend of Colvin’s,¹³ who was rather amusing but somehow my French had run out of the heels of my boots. I’ve since heard that he is one of Gambetta’s¹⁴ private secretaries.

Remember me to Miss Ashburner if she is with you.¹⁵ I sh^d. think Sara must enjoy having her here  

I hope Southampton is suiting you & mother.

I’ve not heard whether Frank is going to Brittany or not.¹⁶

I suppose H. & Ida will be back tomorrow. They will have to decide on the great house question then.¹⁷

Your affectionate Son | G H Darwin

Please return the letters.