1870-1871] My Marriage 205 



life, notwithstanding my stomach; and this I owe almost 

 entirely to our dear old mother, who, as you know well, is 

 as good as twice refined gold. Keep her as an example 

 before your eyes, and then Litchfield will in future years 

 worship and not only love you, as I worship our dear old 

 mother. Farewell, my dear Etty. I shall not look at you 

 as a really married woman until you are in your own house. 

 It is the furniture which does the job. Farewell, 



Your affectionate Father, 



CHARLES DARWIN. 



Emma Darwin to her daughter Henrietta Litchfield. 



MY DEAREST BODY, Tuesday Evenin 9 [ ^" 1871] ' 



It is very pleasant to feel well again after my three 

 days' poorliness, and I can't think what took me. It was 

 not good Mr and Mrs Rowland, as F. of course put it down 

 to (tho' he is dreadfully deaf). ... If I don't get my head 

 turned amongst you all it will be a wonder ; but I feel it like 

 F. making me out to be so very ill always, only a proof of 

 his affection, and therefore he does not succeed in making 

 me think myself so very sick or so very good. On Monday 

 night Horace came very jolly and well. He has been down 

 to the Venerable P., 1 who is still bad (send him some message, 

 for I think your wedding finished him up). Poor little 

 Cinder [kitten] has been lost for two days. It caused a 

 burst of indignation thro' the house; Jane was sure she 

 was starved, Mrs Tasker turned her out at night, &c. 

 However, she was found safe at John Lewis's; and now the 

 evil tongue takes another direction, viz. that the L.'s 

 meant to keep her, and so did not tell when enquiries were 

 made. . . . 



Wednesday morning. Jane is in bed with lumbago and 

 fainting, and I am sure is in for an illness, but Mrs Evans 

 thinks it a capital joke and does all the work. . . . The B.'s 



1 Parslow, the old butler, thus incorrectly nicknamed from the 

 Aged P. in Great Expectations. 



