118 THE COMING [CH. 



' But I am bound to tell you that I shall not be able to talk 

 with you or anyone else for this length of time, however much I 

 should like to do so but you can read newspaper or take a stroll 

 during part of the time.' 



His constant practice, whenever I visited him, 

 either at Down or at his brother's or daughter's house 

 in London, was to retire with me, after lunch, to a 

 room where we could ' talk geology ' for about three 

 quarters of an hour. At the end of that time, 

 Mrs Darwin would come in smilingly, and though no 

 word was spoken by her, Darwin would at once rise 

 and beg me to read the newspaper for a time, or, if I 

 preferred it, to take a stroll in the garden ; and after 

 urging me 4o stay ' if I could possibly spare the time/ 

 would go away, as I understood to lie down. On his 

 return, about half an hour later, the discussion would 

 be resumed where it had been left off", without further 

 remark. 



Mr Francis Darwin has told us that the nature 

 and extent of his father's sufferings so patiently 

 and uncomplainingly borne were never fully known, 

 even to his own children, but only to the faithful 

 wife who devoted her whole life to the care 

 of his health. As is well known, Darwin seldom 

 visited at other houses, besides those of immediate 

 relatives, or the hydropathic establishment at which 

 he sought relief from his illness. But he was in the 

 habit of sometimes, when in London, calling upon 



