92 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, vi 



inexorable to my day, being convinced that at Combe Florey 

 more than any place " brevity is the soul of a visit." . . . 



I have been told by Miss Clarke, the daughter of a neigh- 

 bouring rector, 1 that in so far as these letters give the 

 impression that Sydney Smith was no longer the kind friend 

 and energetic helper of his parishioners it is unfair to him. 

 Her father and mother were intimate with the Smiths, and 

 she quotes a characteristic sentence from a note of his to her 

 father: "Pray give your servant a very gentle admonition 

 respecting leaving open garden doors. He left mine wide 

 open to-day, and the village pigs, taking it as an hint that 

 I wished to see them, paid me a visit." 



Charles Darwin to Emma Darwin. 



Sunday [SHREWSBURY, Oct., 1844]. 



. . . My visit is going off very pleasantly; arid my father 

 is in excellent spirits. I have had a deal of ' parchment 

 talk," as Catherine calls it, with my father, and shall have 

 a good deal of wisdom to distil into you when I return, 

 about Wills, &c. . . . My father says that Susan, the 

 evening before she went, was enthusiastic in her admira- 

 tion of you, in which you know how my father joins. I 

 did not require to be reminded how well, my own dear wife, 

 you have borne your dull life with your poor old sickly 

 complaining husband. Your children will be a greater 

 comfort to you than I ever can be, God bless them and you. 

 Give my love and a very nice kiss to Willy and Annie and 

 poor Budgy, and tell them how much I liked their little 

 notes, which I read aloud to grandpapa. I shall be very 

 glad to see them again. I always fancy I see Budgy putting 

 her tongue out and looking up to me. Good-bye, my dears. 



C. DARWIN. 



My mother paid a visit to Maer in February, 1845. Her 

 life was at this time almost entirely filled by the cares of 

 husband and children, and I think no reason less strong 

 than that of seeing her mother would have taken her from 

 her home life. 



1 The Rev. J. B. B. Clarke, Rector of West Bagborough. 



