1875 HIS EDINBURGH COURSE 179 



To HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER 



EDINBURGH, May 16, 1875. 



MY DEAREST JESS Your mother's letter received this 

 morning reminds me that I have not written to " Cordelia " 

 (I suppose she means Goneril) by a message from that 

 young person so here is reparation. 



I have 330 students, and my class is the biggest in 

 the University but I am quite cast down and dis- 

 contented because it is not 351, being one more than 

 the Botany Class last year which was never so big 

 before or since. 



I am thinking of paying 21 street boys to come and 

 take the extra tickets so that I may crow over all my 

 colleagues. 



Fanny Bruce is going to town next week to her 

 grandmother's and I want you girls to make friends with 

 her. It seems to me that she is very nice but that is 

 only a fallible man's judgment, and Heaven forbid that 

 I should attempt to forestall Miss Cudberry's decision on 

 such a question. Anyhow she has plenty of energy and, 

 among other things, works very hard at German. 



M says that the Rootle- Tootles have a bigger 



drawing-room than ours. I should be sorry to believe 

 these young beginners guilty of so much presumption, 

 and perhaps you will tell them to have it made smaller 

 before I visit them. 



A Scotch gentleman has just been telling me that 

 May is the worst month in the year, here ; so pleasant ! 

 but the air is soft and warm to-day, and I look out over 

 the foliage to the castle and don't care. 



Love to all, and specially M . Mind you don't 



tell her that I dine out to-day and to-morrow positively 

 for the first and last times. Ever your loving father, 



T. H. HUXLEY. 



