From Emma Darwin [19 April 1851]
Down
Saturday
My own dearest
The conclusion of your letter does leave me with some hopes, almost as much as I had yesterday. It is a blessing that our darling does not suffer, & I hope that even the vomitting does not cause much. How kind of Dr Gully to sleep in the house. & must have been a great support to you Now dear Fanny is with you, you must let her experienced eye do some of the watching,1 tho’ I know what an effort it must be to leave her for a moment, but you will be quite exhausted. Aunt F.2 helps me through the long hours of suspense, & I feel quite unnatural sometimes in being able to talk of other things. Poor little sweet child I often think of the precious look she gave you the only one I suppose. No wonder she would brighten up at your sight you were always the tenderest of human beings to her & comforted her so on all occasions.
I am sadly afraid we shall not hear tomorrow The morning is the only chance Mr Acton3 says.
Goodbye my dearest. I shall probably send for Etty4 on Monday. God bless you I know you would suffer. Yours my beloved E.D.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Emma Darwin (1915): Emma Darwin: a century of family letters, 1792–1896. Edited by Henrietta Litchfield. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1915.
Summary
Is hopeful about Anne after receiving an encouraging message.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1404
- From
- Emma Wedgwood/Emma Darwin
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 210.13: 13
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1404,” accessed on 14 October 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1404.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5