1838-1839] The Glory of Gower Street 21 



called the Museum) is quite filled, but holds everything very 

 well. I walked for half-an-hour in the garden to-day and 

 much enjoyed the advantage of so easily getting a mouthful 

 of air. Erasmus's dinner yesterday was a very pleasant 

 one: Carlyle was in high force, and talked away most 

 steadily ; to my mind Carlyle is the best worth listening to of 

 any man I know. The Hensleighs were there and were very 

 pleasant also. Such society, I think, is worth all other 

 and more brilliant kinds many times over. I find I cannot 

 by any exertion get up the due amount of admiration for 

 Mrs Carlyle: I do not know whether you find it so, but I 

 am not able to understand half the words she speaks, from 

 her Scotch pronunciation. She certainly is very far from 

 natural; or to use the expression Hensleigh so often quotes, 

 she is not an unconscious person. . . . 



I long for the hour of inducting you into the glory, I 

 dare not say comfort, of Gower Street. I wish I could 

 make the drawing-room look as comfortable as my own 

 studio : but I daresay a fire will temporarily make things 

 better, but the day of some signal reform must come, other- 

 wise our taste in harmonious colours will assuredly be 

 spoilt for the rest of our lives. . . . 



Charles Darwin to Emma Wedgwood. 



Sunday Night, 12, UPPER GOWER STREET, 

 MY DEAR EMMA, U Jan -> 1839 J- 



I have just returned from my little dinner at the 

 Ly ells' in which I did some geology and some scrattle about 

 coal and coal-merchants. You will say it was high time, for 

 when 1 came in and began to poke the fire, Margaret said. 

 You must take care, Sir, there is only one lump left for 

 to-night and to-morrow morning. ..." 



You will say that the house is too good when you hear 

 that I have lost all wish of going beyond the limits of the 

 spacious and beautiful garden. To-day, however, it rained 

 so heavily that I had my walk in the drawing-room. With 

 a little judgment we shall make the room comfortable, 1 



