584 Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



Miss Elderton has certainly been a remarkable success at the Eugenics Office ; but I think 

 her marvellous energy and quickness to learn anything new would have enabled her to succeed 

 at anything she undertook. 



Hoping that you are in good health, and have not been too much troubled with bronchitis 

 lately. Believe me, yours very sincerely, Edgar Schuster. 



Quedley, Haslemere. September 30, 1907. 

 Dearest Milly, I was remiss yesterday in letting the Sunday post-time pass, without 

 writing to you. A lady who says that she knows you, Miss Bennett (? as to number of n's and 

 t's), has been staying with our friends here, the Lionel Tollemaches, and returns to Bovey 

 to-morrow. She will tell you about these surroundings and ourselves. I continue to think the 

 choice of this place a wise one. The neighbourhood is rich in nice people and there are numerous 

 drives, each different from the other. The house too is convenient in itself, very much so in its 

 position, and is growing pretty inside under Eva's artistic touch. I have been occupying all 

 my novel-reading hours with reading Sir Charles Grandison, and am ashamed rather to say 

 how much I am carried on with it. Richardson has a remarkable power of keeping his charac- 

 ters distinct and vivid before the reader. What an enormous length his novels are ! My edition 

 of Sir Charles Grandison is in four closely-printed, large 8vo volumes, and Clarissa Marlowe 

 is I believe about the same length. Violet Macintyre arrives in England to-day from America. 

 Her baby is with Walter Biggs. She goes straight to Constance Pearson. The baby vastly 

 improved while here, hardly any of her fits of yelling, of which she had many at first when with 

 her former nurse. Poor little thing ; her look-out in life is not a happy one, to all appearance. 

 If Violet finds a good ayah to take her back, it will be a great gain to the child. I trust your 

 own many domestic troubles are dispersing. Has Guy actually begun his new work t How is 

 Amy? Where is Hugh] Is Bob better? We had a pleasant visit from my old and rather 

 invalided friend, Lady Welby, who motored here for lunch all the way from Harrow and back 

 again. She is a wonderful woman in many ways, and of wide experience in life, beginning as 

 a pet godchild of Queen Victoria, and for the last ten or more years steeped in metaphysics ! 

 It is so pleasant to meet Mrs Tyndall and to talk of old times, as for the most part : "All, all 

 are gone, the old familiar faces." Best loves to all. Ever affectionately, Francis Galton. 



I have not yet found out the meaning of Quedley. 



Quedley, Haslemere. November 2, 1907. 



My dear George Darwin, I fully sympathise with H. M. Taylor's [blind Fellow of 

 Trinity *] proposal [for the blind *] and gladly send £2 to help it. 



But my strongest sympathy is with the deaf. Had I a fairy godmother, I would petition 

 that every experimental physicist should be made as deaf as I am, until they had discovered 

 a good ear trumpet, and then that as many fairy-gifts should be heaped on the discoverer as 

 should exceed all he could desire, as well as the thanks and gratitude of all whom he had 

 relieved ! 



I am spending most of the winter here in hopes of evading much bronchitis and asthma. 

 The place promises well. 



Miss Biggs is not quite recovered. But now she is in a healthy position, among old friends 

 who love and break-in horses, and she is busy and hard working all day, with little time to worry 

 herself. You will be particularly interested just now at Charles' debut and progress. All good 

 luck to him. Affectionately yours, Francis Galton. 



To Sir George Darwin, K.C.B. 



Quedley, Haslemere. November 25, 1907. 



Dearest Milly, You will be most welcome here on or about January 7, and for as long 

 as you like. Eva will be pleased too, very pleased, to see you. She does not now seem to care 

 about going clean away, but I am glad she should have variety, for I unaided can be but 

 a tedious companion, and next to no companion at all out-of-doors. What you say about not 

 requiring Charlotte, removes the only possible difficulty. I fear she would be impossible. Matters 

 go on as smoothly now, though hardly so securely, as in old times. I have had a little bronchitic 

 warning but nothing more, no fever at all, and sleep like a baby and eat like a boy. Methuen, 



* Interpolations by Sir George Darwin. 



