94 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, vi 



morning to hear how you got on. I asked Willy how Baby 

 had slept and he answered " She did not cry not one mouth- 

 ful." 



Charles Darwin to Emma Darwin. 



[DOWN], Friday night [probably February, 1845]. 



MY DEAR EMMA, 



I shall write my Babbiana to-night instead of before 

 breakfast. It is really wonderful how good and quiet the 

 children have been, sitting quite still during two or three 

 visits, conversing about everything and much about you 

 and your return. When I said I shall jump for joy when 

 I hear the dinner-bell, Willy said, "I know when you will 

 jump much more, when Mama comes home." ' And so 

 shall I," responded many times Annie. It is evident to me 

 that you must be the cause of all the children's fidgets and 

 naughtinesses. Annie [cet. 4] told me Willy had never been 

 quite round the world, but that he had been a long way, 

 beyond Leave's Green. The Babs has neglected me much 

 to-day, and would not play; she could not eat jam, because 

 she had eaten so much at tea. She was rather fidgety, 

 going in and out of the room, and Brodie declares she was 

 looking for you. I did not believe it, but when she was 

 sitting on my knee afterwards and looking eagerly at pic- 

 tures, I said, " Where is poor Mamma " she instantaneously 

 pushed herself off, trotted straight to the door, and then to 

 the green door, saying " Kitch " ; and Brodie let her through, 

 when she trotted in, looked all round her and began to cry ; 

 but some coffee-grains quite comforted her. Was not this 

 very pretty ? Willy told me to tell you that he had been 

 very good and had given Annie only one tiny knock, and I 

 was to tell you that he had pricked his finger. 



My own annals are of the briefest. I paced half-a-dozen 

 times along the kitchen garden in the horrid cold wind, 

 and came in and read Monsters and Co., till tired, had 

 some visits from children, had very good dinner and very 

 good negus, played with children till six o'clock, read again 



