1890 LETTER TO FOSTER 185 



How's a' wi' you ? Let me have a line. 



We ought to have been in our house a month ago, but 

 fitters, paperers, and polishers are like bugs or cockroaches, 

 you may easily get 'em in, but getting 'em out is the 

 deuce. However, I hope to clear them out by the end 

 of this week, and get in by the end of next week. 



One is obliged to have names for houses here. Mine 

 will be " Hodeslea," which is as near as 1 can go to 

 " Hodesleia," the poetical original shape of my very ugly 

 name. 



There was a noble scion of the house of Huxley of 

 Huxley who, having burgled and done other wrong things 

 (temp. Henry IV.), asked for benefit of clergy. I expect 

 they gave it him, not in the way he wanted, but in the 

 way they would like to " benefit " a later member of the 

 family. 



[Eough sketch of one priest hauling the rope taut over 

 the gallows, while another holds a crucifix before the 

 suspended criminal.] 



Between this gentleman and my grandfather there ie 

 imfortunately a complete blank, but I have none the lest 

 faith in him as my ancestor. 



My wife, I am sorry to say, is in town — superintend- 

 ing packing up — no stopping her. I have been very 

 uneasy about her at times, and shall be glad when we 

 are quietly settled down. With kindest regards to Mrs. 

 Foster — Ever yours, T. H. Huxley. 



His own principal task was in getting his library 

 ready for the move. 



Most of my time (he writes on November 16) for the 

 last fortnight has been spent in arranging books and tear- 

 ing up papers till my back aches and my fingers are sore. 



However, he did not take all his books with him. 

 There was a quantity of biological works of all sorts 



