My dear Fox

It is always a pleasure to me to hear from you & about you, patriarch as you are with your countless children, & grand children—¹ I feel a mere dwarf by your side. My own children are all well & two of my boys are touring in Norway.² Poor Susan is in a terrible suffering state & I fear there is no hope for her except the one & last hope for all.³

We expect Caroline here with her three girls on Monday & I will give her your kind enquiries.⁴ As for myself my health is very decidedly better though I am not very strong. I attribute my improvement partly to Bence Jones’ diet & partly, wonderful to relate, to my riding every day which I enjoy much.⁵ I don’t believe in your theory of moderate mental work doing me any harm—any how I can’t be idle.⁶ I am making rapid progress with my book on domesticated animals which I fear will be a big one & has been laborious from the number of references.⁷ I hope to begin printing towards the close of this close of this year & when it is completed I will of course send you a copy, as indeed I am bound to do as I owe much information to you.⁸ I should have begun printing before this had I not lost nearly three months by the troublesome labour of largely correcting a new edit. of the Origin.⁹ I think I have heard of hybrids between the Sphinx-moths which you mention; I shall be surprised if the hybrids are fertile¹⁰

Believe me, my dear old Friend | yours affectly | Charles Darwin