338 Edward Livingston Youmans. 



LONDON, October 18, 1877. 



MY DEAR WIFE : I have now been here a week and two 

 days. It seems as if it had been two months. As I wrote 

 to Jay, I am very glad I came. It was important for busi- 

 ness reasons, and it has afforded the break I needed, or at 

 all events the test of my condition, which it was important 

 I should have. And it turns out that there was a pretty bad 

 state of physical deterioration and lack of vigour. A cold 

 fastened upon me at first, and I have not been able to 

 throw it off. I am better of it, but it hangs about me and 

 almost unfits me for anything. 



I have not seen the Tyndalls yet, as they have been out 

 of town and will not return till the last of next week. I 

 went with Mr. Spencer to the Huxleys' last Sunday evening, 

 and we had a very quiet hour and a half, there being no- 

 body there. They asked particularly after you, and Mrs. 

 Huxley referred repeatedly to the lunch you gave her. 



Went down to King's, at Epping. I was miserable, and 

 could hardly get through it (and here comes Spencer, who 

 has taken up my case and is heading me off in everything 

 and fights my doing anything ; and he says : " What ! is 

 not one sheet enough ? I never saw anything like it. No 

 wonder you are so pale and miserable ! you don't know 

 what rest means.") The Huxley family is all well grown, 

 and they are very cosy. Huxley says he is very well, but 

 he does not look it. I have assigned a fortnight from to- 

 day on which to sail (in the Germanic), and shall probably 

 do so, but Spencer is strongly opposed to it, and insists 

 very emphatically on my staying. 



LONDON, October 29, 1877. 



DEAR SISTER : Nothing remains but to write, and there 

 is little to write of but personal experiences. These are 

 monotonously varied. On Friday I felt a little aching in 

 my right wrist in writing; on Saturday it became very 

 painful to write. Saturday evening my arm became in- 



