296 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, xx 



to inform the inspector of Police of his danger, so when he 

 got to Carrickmacross he found to his surprise a company 

 of mounted police ready to accompany him. Nothing 

 could make him consent to let them come with him. He 

 said " if he once shewed the white feather he should never 

 be able to shew his face there again." So he and the poor 

 clerk (dreadfully alarmed) held their revolvers ready and 

 drove on and they were not shot at. All this strain broke 

 down his health and nerve. . . . 



These last letters of Johnson are a treat to me. I enjoy 

 poking out bits of new in them. 



DOWN, June, 1892. 



The kitten is very happy and most charming, settling 

 itself on my neck, purring hard, with occasional smudges 

 on my face. Dicky naturally disgusted with it. ... It does 

 so enjoy my delicate slices of cold beef. 



July 19th, 1892. 



Our stiff book is H. James' stories and our light one 

 Leslie Stephen's Hours in a Library 3rd series. He is so 

 pleasant after all that subtlety. 



Bessy and I both agree that we could not really care for 

 other people's pretty things a propos to your enjoying the 

 house [Idlerocks, the Godfrey Wedgwoods]. 



As a fact my mother did not care much for objets d'art, 

 either her own or other people's. 



Emma Darwin to Margaret Shaen in New Zealand. 



DOWN, July 15, 1892. 



. . . We are living in the election and I rejoice to think 

 that Leonard will be out of his pain on Monday. Our old 

 men, Parslow and Lettington, declined to vote at all 

 : They always had voted Liberal " etc., and did not know 

 or care a penny about Home Rule. Well, my letter will be 

 full of the election, so I will try to shut it out. . . . 



Little Charley has capital spirits and at luncheon he 

 rather tired me by talking at the utmost pitch of his voice, 



