1890 GEANIES LONDON 157 



foreigners fco come and work and live in this farm- 

 house. In vain were the foreigners warned not to 

 come, for one evening in walked a young Dane, who 

 preceded a postcard he had sent announcing his 

 arrival. Very nice, and extremely embarrassed at 

 finding himself in a country house where people 

 dressed for dinner. 



However, he got accommodation in the neigh- 

 bourhood and worked at Ascidians, but the expe- 

 riment of inviting stray foreign scientists was 

 abandoned. 



Sept. The Allmans, Turners, and Mr. Lockyer 

 have been here, and we have been getting up some 

 private theatricals. 



Jan. 1884. Lecture at the Koyal Institution on 

 ' the Darwinian Theory of Instinct.' 



To Miss C. E. Eomanes. 



January 5, 1884. 



I am preparing a beautiful surprise for Ethel 

 after she comes down again. The library is to have 

 its end wall papered and panelled, the conservatory 

 is to be painted green, and filled with stands of 

 flowers, and the little room is to have the window 

 filled with stained glass, the walls, ceiling, and doors, 

 beautifully papered and decorated. I expect my 

 book to pay the bills. Is not this a nice idea ? 



Little Ethel's ideas about writing, by the way, are 

 original. A few days ago she wanted me to play at 

 gee-gee. I said, * No, Ethel, father is writing.' She 

 asked, ' Writing letters or writing book ? ' I said, 



