170 DOWN. [ch. vin. 



he can do me good, which most certainly the regular doctors 



could not I feel certain that the water-cure is no 



quackery. 



" How I shall enjoy getting back to Down with reno- 

 vated health, if such is to be my good fortune, and resuming 

 the beloved Barnacles. Now I hope that you will forgive 

 me for my negligence in not having sooner answered your 

 letter. I was uncommonly interested by the sketch you 

 give of your intended grand expedition, from which I sup- 

 pose you will soon be returning. How earnestly I hope that 

 it may prove in every way successful. . 



55 



C. D. to W. D. Fox. [March 7, 1852.] 



Our long silence occurred to me a few weeks since, and 

 I had then thought of writing, but was idle. I congratu- 

 late and condole with you on your tenth child ; but please 

 to observe when I have a tenth, send only condolences to 

 me. We have now seven children, all well, thank God, as 

 well as their mother ; of these seven, five are boys ; and my 

 father used to say that it was certain that a boy gave as 

 much trouble as three girls ; so that bona fide we have sev- 

 enteen children. It makes me sick whenever I think of 

 professions ; all seem hopelessly bad, and as yet I cannot see 

 a ray of light. I should very much like to talk over this 

 (by the way, my three bugbears are Californian and Aus- 

 tralian gold, beggaring me by making my money on mort- 

 gage worth nothing ; the French coming by the Westerham 

 and Sevenoaks roads, and therefore enclosing Down ; and 

 thirdly, professions for my boys), and I should like to talk 

 about education, on which you ask me what we are doing. 

 No one can more truly despise the old stereotyped stupid 

 classical education than I do ; but yet I have not had 

 courage to break through the trammels. After many doubts 

 we have just sent our eldest boy to Rugby, where for his 

 age he has been very well placed. . . I honour, admire, and 

 envy you for educating your boys at home. What on earth 

 shall you do with } T our boys? Very many thanks for your 

 most kind and large invitation to Delamere, but I fear we 

 can hardly compass it. I dread going anywhere, on account 

 of my stomach so easily failing under any excitement. I 

 rarely even now go to London ; not that I am at all worse, 

 perhaps rather better, and lead a very comfortable life with 

 my three hours of daily work, but it is the life of a hermit. 



