304 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, xxi 



remarked on the big wych-elm ; I looked away for a minute, 

 and then looked again and saw it was down. Then came 

 a great noise, as if of a great weight falling, and we saw 

 part of a chimney down near the north corner. Frank and 

 Bernard soon came in to see if we were frightened. They 

 said some trees were down across the road. Then came 

 another great bang and we settled to go down to the draw- 

 ing-room. Eventually two stacks of three chimneys each 

 were blown down. We shut the south-west window [shutters] 

 and felt more quiet there, not that I was frightened. It is 

 so bright and calm I hope I shall go out and see the damage, 

 especially the big tree. 



April 22, 1895. 



I seem to have been reading nothing but about young 

 girls lately Miss Bronte, Miss Edgeworth, the Burneys, 

 the Winkworths. The Brontes and Winkworths went 

 through the same morbid feelings about sin and religion. 

 The Burneys did not trouble their heads, and Miss Edge- 

 worth was very strict with herself but not in the way of 

 religion. I should like to know when they came to the age 

 of 40 or so how much their feelings and opinions had ap- 

 proached each other. 



Emma Darwin to her daughter-in-law Sara. 



MY DEAR SARA, THE GKOVE, May 3 [1895]. 



I cannot easily express the happiness your note 

 gives me. To keep such warm affection as yours all these 

 years, and also to know that you feel the same as ever to 

 Charles fills me with gratitude. 



I think it is a surprising thing that at 87 * I should feel 

 stronger and better in every way than I did at 85. 



My best love to my dear William who is as steadfast as 



you. 



Yours, my dear daughter in heart, 



EMMA DARWIN. 

 1 Her birthday was on May 2nd, 1808. 



